AT THE GOLICHER CIRCLE 



W.J.CRAWFORD. D.Sc. 




C]asiZSHlL2M 
Book__j2____ 

GoEyrightK'. 

COEffllGKT DEPOSIT. 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
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BY TEE SAME AUTEOR 



The Rf.at.ity of Psychic Phenomena 

Experiments in Psychical Science: Levi- 
tation, Contact, and the Dikect 
Voice. 

Hints and Observations fob Those 
Investigating the Phenomena of 
Spiritualism. 

E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 



The PSYCHIC STRUCTURES AT 
THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 



BY 

W. J. CRAWFORD, D.Sc. 

LATE LECTURES IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, THE MUNICIPAL TECHNICAL INSTITUTE, 

BELFAST; AND EXTRA-MURAL LECTURER IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY OF BELFAST 

AUTHOR OF "THE REALITY 01 PSYCHIC PHENOMENA," ETC. 




NEW YORK 
E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY 

681 Fifth Avenue 



tf r \*' u 



Copyright, 1921, * ^ 

By E. P. Dutton & Company^ 



All Rights Reserved 



DEC 19 1921 



PBINTED IN THE UNITED 
STATES OF AMERICA 



©CU630908 



, 



The Work of Dr. W. J. Crawford 
A Note by the Editor of "LAght" 

As the records contained in Dr Crawford's first 
book, The Reality of Psychic Phenomena, made 
their first appearance in Light, which led to my 
personal acquaintance with the author, who, just 
prior to his tragic death, desired that I should 
assist in preparing the present work for the Press, 
I may perhaps be allowed a few prefatory words. 

In his last letter to me (received after his un- 
timely death) he explained that his collapse was 
due entirely to overwork, and he wrote : 

"My psychic work was all done before the 
collapse, and is the most perfect work I have 
done in my life. Everything connected with 
it is absolutely correct, and will bear every 
scrutiny. It was done when my brain was 
working perfectly, and it could not be respon- 
sible for what has occurred." 

And in another part of his letter he said: 

"I wish to reaffirm my belief that the grave 
does not finish all." 

These two extracts from a long and affecting 
letter may be appropriately quoted here. 

For the rest, I may pay a tribute to the careful, 



vi THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

courageous, and most valuable work of the departed 
scientist, in an obscure but tremendously impor- 
tant branch of scientific research. I could say much 
about the present book, with its remarkable elucida- 
tion of many problems connected with the physical 
phenomena of spiritualism, but I content myself 
with a reference to such experiments as those with 
the soft clay and the methylene blue, which finally 
clear away certain suspicions that have always 
attached to physical mediums in connection with 
materialisation phenomena, amongst uninstructed 
investigators. This is not the least valuable part 
of a valuable book. 

DAVID GOW. 

October 25, 1920. 



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THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES AT 
THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 



The Psychic Structures at the 
Goligher Circle 

In my former books, The Reality of Psychic 
Phenomena and Experiments in Psychical Science, 
I have given reasons for supposing that the psychic 
structures which emanate from the medium's body 
and levitate the seance table, rap on the floor of 
the room, move the table about the room, and in 
general produce most of the phenomena of the 
Goligher circle, possess a variety of shapes and 
dimensions, and have various methods of action, 
depending chiefly upon the magnitude of the 
psychic forces applied. I showed that if a light 
table, for example, was to be levitated, the psychic 
structure employed was a cantilever firmly fixed 
to the medium's body at one end and gripping the 
undersurface or legs of the table with the free, or 
working, end. Fig. 1 gives a rough diagrammatic 
view of the structure, when M is the medium, T 
the levitated table, and S, S, S the psychic 
structure. It should be noted that the structure 
in this case does not touch the floor, and that 
consequently all the reaction due to the levitated 
table is upon the medium. If, however, the 
levitated body is a heavy one, the psychic structure 

1 



2 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

employed is not a simple cantilever, as shown in 
fig. 1, but is so modified that the reaction, instead 
of being thrown on the medium, is applied to 
the floor of the room. Fig. 2 shows the method. 



M 





\ s 


S 




FLOOR LEVEL. 






Fig. i. 
/ 1 


r 


M Y 














s 




V — ^-S^ 


K 




FLOOR LEVEL. 






Fi&I. 









M is the medium, T the levitated table, S, S the 
structure. The latter rests on, or is fixed to, the 
floor at K, so that a kind of strut exists between 
the undersurface of the levitated table and the 
floor. This method is also used when an experi- 
menter stands over the levitated table, grips its 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 3 

sides and endeavours to depress it to the floor. 
The actual shape of the psychic structure may 
not be as shown in fig. 2. It may have a shape 
such as is shown diagrammatically in fig. 3, where 




FLOOR LEVEL 
Fig. 3. 



MEDIUM 




TABLE 



STRUCTURE 



FLOOR LEVEL 
Fig. 4. 

there is a point of juncture at P of two parts of 
the structure, with one vertical limb rising to the 
levitated table and another proceeding to the floor. 
The mechanical reaction would be the same in 
either case. 

When the table rests upon the floor of the 



4 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

seance room and the experimenter stands behind 
it and endeavours to push it inwards towards the 
medium, the psychic structure used are of two 
kinds : ( 1 ) a pair of straight rods proceeding from 
the medium to the two nearest legs of the table, as 
shown in fig. 4; and (2) a pair of rods proceeding 
to the floor and thence to the legs of the table, 
as shown in fig. 5. (1) is used when the applied 
force is likely to be small, and ( 2 ) when it is likely 
to be large, with the consequent advisability of 
placing most of the reaction upon the floor instead 
of upon the medium. 

When the medium and the chair upon which 
she is sitting are bodily moved about the floor of 
the seance room by the operators, the structure 
made use of is as shown in fig. 6. 

A rigid psychic "bar" is fixed to the floor at 
K, and pushes on the front leg of the medium's 
chair at D. The "bar" is fed by an unstressed or 
but slightly stressed link proceeding from the ankle 
A of the medium. There are, of course, two such 
psychic "bars" in operation at one time. 

The invariable rule with regard to these psychic 
structures is that they are as simple as possible 
consistent with the carrying out of phenomena. 
They can be divided into two distinct classes: 
(1) structures which do not touch the floor of the 
seance room (at any rate, beyond the immediate 
vicinity of the medium's feet) during action upon 
the experimental table; and (2) structures which 
touch the floor somewhere. Whenever possible, 
the structures used are of class (1). 

The touching of a material body by these psychic 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 5 

structures is a most important point in connection 
with them. Certain dispositions and operations 
seem to require to be gone through by the part 
of a structure which is intended to touch or adhere 
to a floor or table. The reader must not suppose 




MEDIUM 



FLOOR LEVEL. 
Fig. 5. 




FLOOR LEVEL 
Fig. 6. 



that a psychic rod structure resembles, say, the 
handle of a broom, which could be made to apply 
force to a material body anywhere over its length. 
The rule is that only that portion of the psychic 
structure which has undergone special preparation 
can grip a material body such as a chair or a table. 
In other words, the gripping part of the structure 
must have special labour expended on it before it is 



6 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

able to perform its function. It must, of necessity, 
be a differentiated portion of the structure. It 
follows from the point of view of the saving of 
energy that the fewer the number of these differ- 
entiated portions the better. And this is the reason 
why, whenever possible, a psychic structure at the 
Goligher circle has only one gripping surface: in 
other words, that a cantilever, which grips with its 
free end and does not touch the floor anywhere 
over its length, is invariably used if the body to be 
acted upon is not too heavy, or in general if the 
psychic force to be exerted is not too great. 

We may call a structure which has only one 
differentiated gripping area a single-ended struc- 
ture (this is the case with the psychic cantilever), 
and a structure which possesses two differentiated 
gripping areas a double-ended structure (this is 
the case in which the table is levitated by the strut 
method shown in figs. 2 and 3). 

It requires a considerable time, from one to five 
minutes, depending upon the change in dimensions 
as well as change in form, for a single-ended 
structure to be converted into a double-ended one. 
I have experimentally observed the process many 
times. For instance, I have asked the operators to 
levitate a fairly heavily weighted table alternately 
by the cantilever method and by the strut method, 
and I have verified their statement that it was so 
levitated in each case. I found that a minute or 
more was required to effect the necessary change 
in the levitating structure. And similarly with 
other varieties of phenomena. Several minutes 
were required to prepare the double-ended structure 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 7 

employed to move the medium and her chair bodily 
along the floor (fig. 6). Time was also required to 
change the single-ended structure of fig. 4 into the 
double-ended one of fig. 5. 

The reader will see that the psychic structures 
present in the seance room at the Goligher circle 
are, comparatively speaking, simple affairs, and in 
no wise comparable to the materialisation pheno- 
mena obtained with some mediums. Nevertheless 
I will show later on that there exist in these 
structures all the potentialities of materialisation 
phenomena, and that they are in reality but some 
stages further back in development and do not 
differ in essence. This is really what might have 
been expected, though the two classes of pheno- 
mena are themselves so far apart in point of actual 
result. There is a line of continuity about all the 
physical phenomena of the seance room which is 
more real than apparent. 

What I have said about the general shape of the 
psychic structures at the Goligher circle has been 
deduced from a lengthy consideration of the 
mechanical actions due to the phenomena. Dozens 
of experiments carried out over a period of years 
could result in no other conclusions than those 
stated. Force-registering apparatus used in various 
ways and under different conditions determined 
the locality on which psychic pressure was exerted, 
whether that locality was part of the levitated table 
or part of the floor under or near the table. All 
the mechanical results without exception agreed 
with the mechanics of a beam fixed to the medium's 
body at one end and with the other end projecting 



8 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

into the seance room, this latter being supported 
or not by the floor as circumstances dictated. In 
short, these mechanical experiments showed that a 
rigid or semi-rigid structure, at all times connected 
to the medium and capable of being manipulated 
in various ways within the circle of space formed 
by the sitters, was present and accounted for all 
the phenomena. But though the general outline 
of these structures was thus ascertained, though 
the localities of pressure were discovered and the 
methods in which the psychic beam was manipu- 
lated were deduced, yet these particular experi- 
ments gave no definite information of the exact 
shape or composition of the structures. They 
established beyond all reasonable doubt where 
the pressures were applied by the structures and 
what kind of mechanisms must be employed 
to produce such pressure, but they did not go 
beyond that. 

If we consider one of the simplest of these 
psychic structures, say an ordinary psychic rod 
used for rapping, or a cantilever used to levitate a 
light table, the following questions in connection 
with it naturally come to mind : — 

(a) What is its exact shape? 

(b) How does it grip the table or rap on the floor? 

(c) Is it of uniform composition throughout its 

length? 

(d) Is the gripping end different from the re- 

mainder of the structure? 

(e) Is any part of it tangible? 
(/) Is any part of it visible? 




Fig. 7. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 9 

(g) Is its composition simple or complex? 

(h) How does it get through the clothing of the 

medium? 
(i) From what part of the medium's body does it 

issue? 
(j) Is there any matter in it taken from the 

medium's body? 

The greatest trouble experienced by the experi- 
menter in tracing the outlines of these psychic 
structures at the Goligher circle lies in the fact 
that they are generally quite invisible under the 
ordinary conditions of the seance room. They are 
not always quite invisible, but usually so. The 
fact as to whether they, or some part of them, are 
visible or not depends on several factors. I have 
found that under the best conditions of sitting, i.e. 
when strangers were not present, and the members 
of the family were all in good health, that the 
structures were perfectly invisible in the red light. 
On several occasions under such conditions I have 
carefully experimented to see if I could detect any 
signs of visibility. I arranged matters so that a 
strong red light was falling upon the space below 
the levitated table, while another source of red 
light was shining from behind, so that the whole 
area between medium and levitated table was itself 
quite visible. The table remained levitated for 
several minutes, and I shifted my position into 
various parts of the circle, looking at the space 
below the table from different angles. But to all 
appearance the space was empty: that is, no part 
of the levitating structure reflected, refracted, or 



10 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

absorbed the light. On many similar occasions, 
under the very best conditions for observation with 
the red light, I have endeavoured to glimpse the 
structures, but always vainly, when only the 
members of the family were present in the room. 
On one such occasion I asked the operators 
specially to make the structures visible to me, 
which they said they tried to do, but vainly. 
There was nothing visible to me or to anyone 
else in the room below or round the levitated 
table. 

When, however, there are a considerable number 
of spectators in . the seance room looking at the 
phenomena, some of the structures have in part 
become visible. Also very lately there has been 
observed a tendency for portions of the smaller 
structures to become visible with only one or two 
persons besides the family present. 

What are the factors which result in the outlines 
of these psychic mechanisms taking on such a form 
that they can be seen by the normal human eye? 
In my opinion they are two in number : — ( 1 ) When 
a considerable number of persons in good health 
are present in the seance room in addition to the 
regular members of the circle, a certain quantity 
of unstable psychic matter in excess of what is 
strictly required is at the disposal of the operators. 
This matter_is__ drawn from the spectators, and it 
does not blend _ well with the psy chi c matter t aken 
from thejnedinm and memb ers of the c ircle. It 
pollutes, as it were, the main body of the structure, 
while no doubt at the same time strengthening it, 
for the most powerful phenomena are obtained with 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 11 

many spectators present. The structure changes 
like a usually clear stream which has become 
coloured and enlarged by a dirty tributary. (2) 
Of late months the operators have become more 
expert in thickening the materialised skin covering 
the ends of the structures (this process is referred 
to later), with the consequence that now and then 
such ends become faintly visible. 

What I have said above with regard to visi- 
bility of the psychic structures refers only to 
observation in the ordinary red light of the seance 
room. Other mea ns, which I shall describe in 
detail in the proper place, have been evolved 
whereby these structures can be rendered visible 
at wil l and their whole formation and modes of 
action examined at leisure. 

In the meantime I wish to say something about 
a photograph which was obtained by flashlight at 
an early stage of the investigation at the Goligher 
circle. I have already briefly referred to it in The 
Reality of Psychic Phenomena, but in that book 
the actual photograph was not published, as I 
did not think at the time that it would reproduce 
well. I have since then come to the opinion that 
even though something of definition may be lost 
in the reproduction, it would be well to give the 
actual print here, and this I accordingly do ( fig. 7 ) . 
Unfortunately, the negative was accidentally 
dropped, and in consequence it was badly cracked, 
though luckily little of the actual picture of the 
structure was injured. I briefly describe under 
what conditions the photograph was taken, quot- 
ing from The Reality of Psychic Phenomena: — 



12 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

"The circle had assembled with the object of 
obtaining flashlight photographs of the levitated 
table. During the whole of the day Miss Kathleen 
Goligher, the principal medium, had been suffering 
from a cold and a sore throat, and I thought of 
postponing the seance: but feeling a little better 
in the evening, she desired that it should be held. 
The circle sat in its usual order, with the medium 
at the top end of the room. The camera was placed 
in position near the bottom end and focussed upon 
the table. I decided to wait for the photograph 
until the latter half of the seance. In the mean- 
time we had a display of rapping, levitation, etc. 
After half an hour or so of this, phenomena ceased, 
and I told the operators to rap when they were 
ready for the photograph. During the period of 
waiting the operators asked us various questions 
about the height we desired the table to be 
levitated, the method of procedure with the flash- 
light, and so on. Then after a time they levitated 
the table steadily and kept it in the air for several 
minutes, giving us the impression that they were 
practising. A further lull followed, and after a 
time a request from them that, although, the table 
was not levitated, we should try the flashlight, 
with the object, as it seemed to me, of discovering 
what would happen to their psychic system of 
equilibrium when the powerful light should sud- 
denly burst forth. We decided that it would be well 
to expose a plate during the flash, although we did 
not expect any result. The circle was widened a 
little at the bottom end, Master Goligher and 
Miss Lily Goligher moving a little apart, though 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 13 

keeping their hands joined in the usual way. The 
flashlight exposure was made (the reader is to 
remember that the table was not levitated). Then 
after a little the operators told us that they could 
do no more that evening owing to the condition of 
the medium. I did not think there was the least 
likelihood of anything being on the exposed plate, 
but a surprise was in store when it was developed. 



F J 



4* m 




FLOOR LEVEL. 
Fig. 8. 



The matter is, in my opinion, worthy of being 
described in detail. . . . The following are my 
analysis and interpretation (fig. 8) : — From about 
the centre of the left forearm (A) of Master S. 
Goligher, who is in trance, is seen issuing a vertical 
column of whitish translucent material, about 4 
inches in diameter. It comes from his arm at right 
angles to it, rises about a foot into the air, gradually 
bending over in the form of an arch (B) and pro- 
ceeding to K, which is just on the camera side of 
the table (standing on the floor in front of the 



14 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

medium), and about a foot above the floor. From 
K a column of about the same or a little greater 
diameter, and of the same whitish translucent 
colour, rises vertically into the air, and terminates 
at D, at a height of about 5 feet from the floor. 
Up to the point E the column is of uniform 
density throughout, and, though thin, has its 
boundaries well defined. The pattern of the wall 
paper is quite easily seen through it. From E 
upwards the column becomes denser and whiter, 
and at the summit D it becomes opaque, so that 
the wall paper can no longer be seen through it. 

"At the top it. can be seen to be bending over 
and backwards, and it descends behind the upward 
column to the point E. The opacity at the 
summit is perhaps due to the eye looking through 
a double thickness of column, the ascending and 
descending portions, and to the fact that the 
psychic stuff has exhausted its velocity at the top. 
In its descent its outline is no longer uniform, but 
sinuous, and its density not uniform, but patchy. 
The descending column is easily made out behind 
the ascending one owing to this patchy appearance 
and wavy outline. At E the descending column 
branches off horizontally to'the left, and enters the 
top of the chest of the medium (F), Miss Kath- 
leen Goligher. 

"In the diagram I have drawn a dotted arch G 
from the medium's arm to the point K at the 
bottom of the column. This is not visible owing 
to the position of the sitters and to the table inter- 
vening, but I am assuming it is there. The very 
bottom part of the column K is also not visible 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 15 

owing to an arm of one of the sitters being in the 
way; but the chances are, from the formation of 
the arch entering it, that it terminates well above 
the floor. Also from the point E of the column 
a very faint outline of about the column's diameter 
can be made out proceeding in the opposite direc- 
tion to that of the medium, and presumably enter- 
ing the chest of Miss Anna Goligher." 

The above was written three years ago. I have 
a few further remarks to make, garnered from 
much recent experience of the phenomena at the 
circle; but I will first set down the opinion of a 
friend, who was present when the photograph was 
taken, regarding its authenticity and the unlikeli- 
hood of its being due to an accident of any kind. 
This friend has had considerable experience in 
photography: 

"As far as I am able to judge, the abnormal 
markings are genuine psychic effects. I cannot 
trace any means whereby the 'flash' could have 
been reflected, as you will remember the 'flash' 
was placed on the camera and, as I should judge, 
about 9 inches behind the lens. If this position 
had been an error of judgment in placing the flash 
in position, viz. too near the lens, I should have 
expected to find a complete fog and over-exposure 
of the plate. 

" We find a large column of light rising towards 
the ceiling to a height approximately the same 
height as the 'flash' would reach, but it also 
extends in a downward direction to the floor, 
throwing out, as it were, other arms, curved in 
shape. This, to my mind, destroys any theory of 



16 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

reflection; indeed, I cannot find any reflecting 
surface other than the polished surface of the 
table top. 

" You will, I am sure, have noticed a short 
horizontal arm joining the medium to the main 
column of light, and also have noted the added 
brilliancy at the head of the column. I am in- 
clined to think that the 'flash' would have its 
greatest brilliancy at its base, diminishing in 
actinic value at its crown. 

" The markings are certainly not likely to be 
caused by chemical action during development." 

The photograph was taken by flash powder 
and not by a piece of magnesium ribbon, hence 
none of the curved structures visible could have 
been due to reflection of such ribbon. I have 
submitted the photograph to a very experienced 
professional photographer who has done a great 
quantity of flashlight work, but he can suggest 
no means whereby the visible structure could, 
under the circumstances, have been produced 
accidentally. 

Also the print has been sent to one of the most 
experienced psychic investigators in France, and 
this gentleman sees much resemblance in the 
whitish translucent appearance of the column and 
curved arms to the appearance presented in the 
initial stages of materialisation phenomena, which 
he has personally investigated. 

Finally, I have no doubt in my own mind that 
the photograph shows genuine psychic structures, 
for the reason that to a large extent the picture 
verifies the work of a year, carried out with 




Fig. 9. 




Fig. io. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 17 

mechanical apparatus. The reader should clearly 
understand that I did not base my psychic beam 
theory on the results on this photograph, but that 
the photograph was taken after the theory was 
enunciated. Furthermore, the operators distinctly 
stated that they set up the structure so that the 
camera could take a picture of it which would 
help me to an understanding of it. 

Fig. 9 shows an enlargement of the photograph. 

Fig. 10 shows an enlargement of the head and 
a considerable portion of the column. 

As I have no doubt whatever, as I have said, 
that the column and curved arm shown on the 
photograph are an attempt by the operators to 
render something of their structures visible to the 
eye of the camera, I think it well here to note 
some of the more important points about these 
structures which the photograph reveals. In the 
first place, with regard to this particular structure, 
I think there has been combined action between 
two mediums. The emanation of the structure 
has in this case not been due only to Miss Kathleen 
Goligher, but her brother, Master Samuel Goli- 
gher, has also been partly responsible. The latter 
was thought for some considerable time to possess 
the mediumistic faculty, and, lately, rappings oc- 
curring in his presence when alone have placed the 
supposition beyond all reasonable doubt. It is 
rather a strange fact that pronounced mediumistic 
tendencies should thus be confined to the two 
youngest members of the family. 

The structure seen in the photograph appears to 
be of the nature of a beam of irregular shape sup- 



18 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

ported at the two ends, viz. by Master Samuel and 
Miss Kathleen Goligher. It is visible practically 
all over its length, but it is obviously most opaque 
and dense at the summit of the vertical column. 
Now, if this were really a working structure, such 
as that which might get below a table and levitate 
it, instead of being, as it is, a structure specially 
prepared for the camera and of little inherent 
strength, we would find, as I shall show later, that 
the free end or working portion was different from 
the remainder or body of the structure. What 
I wish the reader to note, then, is that the head 
(or what would correspond to the tangible working 
end of the phenomenal structure) is on the photo- 
graph somewhat different from the column and 
curved arm part of the structure. 

(a) The head, or what corresponds to the working 
or gripping end of the structure, is denser 
and more opaque than the body. 

The reader will also note that the head seems to 
be a differentiated portion of the structure, inas- 
much as it is of quite different shape from the 
remainder and that there is a pronounced neck 
just before the head forms. This neck portion is 
best seen in figs. 9 and 10. Now, as I shall show 
later, this head part of the psychic structure is 
important, because it is capable of changing its 
shape and size, and even of sometimes bending 
round like a hook and gripping the legs of a table 
or chair. 

In figs. 9 and 10 this hook-like shape can be 
observed. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 19 

(b) The head appears as though it were bending 

round a narrowed portion or neck of the 
vertical column. 

Fig. 10 shows a considerable portion of the 
column below the head. It will be noticed that 
the column here is not exactly rigid, but is sinuous 
in outline : that is to say, its boundary lines, though 
approximately parallel, are not straight. The fact 
that the boundary lines, though not straight, are 
parallel to each other, suggests that the column 
itself was originally cylindrical, but has become 
more or less twisted. The reader will also note 
that the part of the column near the bottom 
(where the curved arm enters it — figs. 7 and 9) is 
less twisted than the part near the top: also that 
the bottom part of the column is less dense than 
the top part. If we suppose that the white 
appearance of the structure is due to articles 
of some form of matter, then it would appear 
that the less dense this matter the straighter the 
boundary lines of the column. In other words, 

(c) The less the degree of materialisation of the 

column and curved arms, the more perfect 
in a geometrical sense their outlines. 

I use the word materialisation to signify that 
some basic or underlying framework has been 
thickened with particles of matter: exactly in the 
sense that the word is used in psychic research 
generally. 

There is no getting away from the fact that the 
photograph suggests an underlying invisible basic 



20 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

framework which has been rendered visible by 
particles of matter being projected into it. There 
is every appearance of a built-up framework about 
the whole thing. The curved arm, the column, 
the straight arm, the connection of the two ends 
with the mediums, are too many coincidences to 
be due to chance. Particularly should the reader 
note that — 

(d) It is possible that the structure as seen in the 
photograph consists of two parts: (1) an 
invisible part having the general outline 
shown, and (2) particles of white filling 
matter projected into the structure in order, 
in this case, to make it visible. 



The reader should clearly bear in mind, while 
considering the results of this photograph and the 
conditions under which it was taken, that the 
structure shown is not under any stress except 
that due to its own weight. It was because of 
this that it was possible to take a photograph of it 
at all. The energy required to form it was there- 
fore a minimum, and there was as little disturbance 
to the bodily functions of the principal medium, 
Miss Kathleen Goligher; nevertheless, when the 
flash occurred she trembled violently and her body 
jerked about spasmodically for ten minutes or 
longer. If the structure shown, or one like it, had 
been below the surface of the table levitating it, 
the structure would have been under considerable 
mechanical stress, much energy from the medium's 
body would have been required to organise it, and 
the resulting disturbance to the medium when the 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 21 

flash occurred would have been much greater. For 
this reason the operators in the first years of the 
investigation never allowed us to take a flashlight 
photograph of the levitated table. The disturbance 
to the bodily organism of the medium would have 
been too great, and might possibly have been 
dangerous. 

As this particular structure is therefore not under 
anything in the way of mechanical stress, it differs 
in detail from what it would be if it was under 
actual stress. For instance, the head of the 
column, or gripping end, would not appear soft 
and nebulous with indeterminate outline, but it 
would be firm and of sharp contour. Further, 
probably the only part of it which would be 
distinctly visible or "materialised" would be the 
head, or gripping end. The reader should note 
that this particular structure was erected simply 
to give us a general idea of the mechanism em- 
ployed, and not to represent the exact shape and 
form of the structure under all conditions. An 
attempt has evidently been made to render as 
much of it as possible visible, by thinly material- 
ising it; but it does not follow that an actual 
structure used to produce a powerful levitation 
would be similarly wholly visible to the eye of 
the camera. 

I may say that I have compared the whitish, 
cloud-like appearance of the matter in the struc- 
ture with photographs of materialisation phenom- 
ena in all stages obtained with many different 
mediums all over the world, and the conclusion I 
have come to is that this material very closely 



22 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

resembles, if it is not identical with, the material 
used in all such materialisation phenomena. In 
fact, it is not too much to say that this whitish, 
translucent, nebulous matter is the basis of all 
psychical phenomena of the physical order. With- 
out it in some degree no physical phenomena are 
possible. It is what gives consistence to the struc- 
tures of all kinds erected by the operators in the 
seance chamber; it is, when properly manipulated 
and applied, that which enables the structures to 
come into contact with the ordinary forms of mat- 
ter with which we are acquainted, whether such 
structures are ones similar to those with which I am 
particularly dealing, or whether they are material- 
isations of bodily forms like hands or faces. Fur- 
ther, to me it appears likely that this matter will be 
found eventually to be the basis of the structures 
apparently erected for the manifestation of that 
peculiar form of phenomena known as the "direct 
voice," while the phenomena known as spirit 
photography appear also to have it as a basis. 

(e) The whitish substance appearing in the struc- 
ture seems likely to be the stuff used in all 
physical phenomena to enable contact to 
be made with matter in the seance room, 
such as tables, chairs, etc. 

It should be clearly noted that this matter is not 
the only component of a physical structure. It is 
the stuff with which the structure is mixed or 
manipulated to enable the basic part of the struc- 
ture to act on ordinary matter. There is another 
component behind it in all cases, a component 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 23 

which appears to be invisible, impalpable, and, 
generally speaking, outside the range of physical 
things altogether. 

The elucidation of the mysteries of the psychic 
structures at the Goligher circle took several years 
to work out. The work was most difficult, trouble- 
some, and laborious. Experiments had to be gone 
over again and again, the methods being slightly 
modified as circumstances required or as new 
knowledge was gained. The consequence was that, 
in reviewing the mass of data obtained, I found 
it almost impossible to set down the results of 
the research as a connected whole unless I could 
present a narrative which more or less described 
the experiments as they occurred in point of time, 
together with my contemporary observations. 
Accordingly, I have pretty closely followed this 
method in the present book. It will enable the 
reader to see just how the problem was tackled, 
and how knowledge was gained; how difficulties 
were met and countered; how wrong deductions 
were converted into correct ones ; how experiments 
performed at intervals of years shed fresh light on 
old facts, and so on. The reader will remember 
that I had to feel my way bit by bit with nothing 
to guide me. There was not a single signpost on 
the road. 

The Tangibility of the Free or Working 
End of the Psychic Rod 

The psychic rods which issue from the medium's 
body seem to vary in diameter at their extremities 
from about V2 in. to 3 or 4 in., and the free end of 



24 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

each rod seems able to assume various shapes and 
different degrees of hardness. 

As an example of a rod in what I consider its 
simplest form, i.e. without its end encumbered 
with design or modified in any of the several ways 
in which it can be modified, I append the following 
notes from Mr. Arthur Hunter of Ballycastle, Co. 
Antrim. He describes what such a rod appears 
like from the sense of touch: — 

" Date— Friday, 5th December 1917. 

" Circumstances of visit. — Accidental in the 
main. 

" Room. — The floor and table were examined by 
two friends who accompanied me. They also 
tested the strength of levitations and resistances 
offered. 

"Experiment 1 

" Towards the end of the seance I asked the 
' operators ' (having first obtained the permission 
of the leader of the circle) if they could place the 
end of the structure in one of my hands. On the 
reply ' Yes,' I went inside the circle, lay down on 
my right side on the floor alongside the table, and 
placed my gloved right hand between the two 
nearest legs of the table. Almost immediately I 
felt the impact of a nearly circular rod-like body 
about 2 in. in diameter on the palm of my hand, 
which was held palm upwards. (The back of my 
hand was towards the floor and at a distance of 
about 5 in. from it.) This circular rod-like body 
was flat at the end, i.e. as if the rod were sawn 
across. It maintained a steady pressure evenly 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 25 

distributed over the area of impact, and was soft 
but firm to the sense of touch. I estimate the 
magnitude of pressure at from 4 to 6 oz. With- 
out being requested to do so, the ' operators ' 
moved this rod-like structure until I felt the clearly 
defined edges of the circular blunt end. This was 
accompanied by a sensation of roughness, as 
though the edge were serrated, such a feeling, I 
believe, as would be given by a substance similar 
to very fine emery paper. 

" Then I inquired if the * operators ' could touch 
my fingers separately with the rod. The question 
was not quite completed when this began, viz. : — 

" Little finger — gentle but very distinct pressure 
with a much smaller rod, or by a contraction of 
the larger one described above. The pressure was 
not over the entire breadth of the finger, but in 
length — from top towards base — was about an 
inch. 

" Finger next little finger — pressure intensified, 
but otherwise as described above. 

" Middle finger — pressure further intensified, 
but otherwise as described above. 

" I detail and emphasize my position inside the 
circle, also that of my hand, for about 3^ ft. 
distant was a fireplace (without a fire), over which 
(about &y 2 ft. from the floor) there was a mantel- 
piece upon which rested a gas jet lighted and 
encased in panels of red glass. Thus I could 
clearly see my hand and the space around and 
beyond the table legs, but I could not see the 
psychic rapping rod. 

" The impacts were upon the more sensitive side 



26 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

of my hand. When my fingers were being touched 
or pressed it seemed as if another finger were 
causing the sensation — a finger of very great 
strength. During this experiment of pressure on 
the fingers there was no sensation of roughness, 
such as occurred and is described with the larger 
rod when I felt the edge of the circular end. My 
sight is very keen. 

"(Sgd.) Arthur Hunter." 

The chief points I wish to emphasize about the 
above narrative are the following: — 

( 1 ) The end of the large rod — the one pressing on 

the palm of the hand — was approximately 
circular in shape. 

(2) The end of this rod was flat, as though the rod 

were "sawn off." 

(3) The circular edge was well defined and was 

rough and hard, and appeared to be finely 
serrated. 

(4) The area of the blunt end of the rod felt "soft 

but firm," and the pressure seemed uni- 
formly distributed. 

Later on I will give photographs of impressions 
made on clay by the end of a rod such as described 
above, and the reader will see that these impressions 
agree most exactly with Mr Hunter's sensations 
obtained by his sense of touch. 

With regard to the rod or rods which pressed on 
his fingers, the important points are as follows: — 

(1) The rod was a much smaller one than that 
described above. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 27 

(2) It was a different rod from the above one, or a 

contraction of the original one. 

(3) The sensation experienced by the rod pressing 

on the ringers was as though another ringer 
— a ringer of very great strength — were 
being used. 

( 4 ) Neither the large rod nor the smaller ones were 

visible, although Mr Hunter's hand and the 
space round about it were quite visible. 

I now give my own sensations of a rapping rod 
or rods acting on the sole of my boot. The text is 
from notes taken at the time. 

Experiment 2. — Baps on the Sole of one's Boot 

The operators can rap on the sole of one's boot 
if it is held upright within the circle. They can 
also cause the "ball" to "bounce" on it, and can 
hit it in various ways with the end of their rapping 
rod. This is a valuable experience, because the 
experimenter can thus learn directly by the sense 
of feeling something of the nature of the end of 
the rod. 

All sorts of raps were given on my boot. These 
mostly felt as if they were struck by a softish knob 
— a knob of matter, which, though on the softish 
side, was yet dense. 

I asked for "harder" raps, when harder and 
more metallic blows were struck, i.e., the end of 
the rod became more rigid and lost some of its 
cushion or elastic aspects. A number of little 
hard raps were struck in succession, like blows 
from a tiny hammer. They were struck with 



28 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

great speed, showing that the operators have great 
command over the striking rod — as much command, 
in fact, as we have over our hands and arms. It 
is now no longer remarkable to me that quick 
dances, reels, etc., can be rapped out, for my 
experience of the rod playing on my boot shows 
me that the rod is responsive to the slightest will 
of the operator. I asked for the "bouncing ball" 
on my boot, when the end of the rod immediately 
became softer, and struck my boot so that the 
sounds just resembled a ball. The feeling was as 
though the striking object was a blobby, rounded 
mass. 

I then asked that the operators should press all 
over the surface of the sole of my boot with the 
kind of pressure they use to levitate the table 
(i.e. with the rod end used for that phenomenon) . 
Immediately the rod termination began to change 
— not instantaneously, but taking about half a 
minute — and a kind of plasma which was softish 
and elastic spread over the sole of my boot. It 
felt somewhat like a thick pancake. Then, when 
this plasm-like stuff was fairly over the area of the 
boot, a tremendous force was exerted upon it, a 
force so great that, do what I could, I was unable 
to prevent my foot being partly shoved back along 
the floor. During the great pressure exerted, the 
plasm-like ending of the rod did not become harder 
or more dense than it was at the beginning. To 
me there appeared to be something of the nature 
of a fluid pressing upon the plasm. As a rough 
analogy, the plasmic termination of the rod might 
be likened to the piston of a steam engine, and the 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 29 

pressure exerted to the steam pressure behind the 
piston. 

The important points about this experience are 
the following: — 

(1) The end of the rod can change very quickly 

from a soft, plasm-like state to a hard, 
metallic condition. 

(2) The operators have great command over the 

smaller rods, and can rap and strike at 
incredible speed. 

(3) The condition of the end of the rod as regards 

size and hardness is changed on demand. 

(4) The rod termination was actually felt to be 

increasing in size, its area enlarging at least 
three times: that is to say, the rod end has 
inherent powers of enlarging, and a sepa- 
rate and distinct rod is not necessary for 
each size of rod termination. 

(5) The larger-sized rod terminations are usually 

fairly soft to the feeling of touch, and it is 
only the comparatively small ones which 
become dense and hard. The large ones 
feel as though a skin containing a mobile 
dense fluid, such as mercury, were being 
used as rod termination. 

As I have explained in my book Experiments 
in Psychical Science, the operators themselves, by 
means of a large number of questions and an- 
swers have given details of the shape and general 
characteristics of a cantilever structure used to 
levitate a table. 



30 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

According to the operators, the dimensions and 
shape of the levitating cantilever are much as 
shown in fig. 11. 




FLo©?e' Level. 

Fig., n. 

A. The top of the columnar part of the cantilever 

is spread out into a broad, flat surface of 
area approximating the undersurface of the 
table. In other words, the summit of the 
cantilever is shaped like a mushroom, and 
even bears some resemblance to the boy's 
plaything known as a "sucker." , It grips 
the table by adhesion. 

B. A fairly uniform vertical column of diameter 

about 4 in. At K the direction changes 
from vertical to more or less horizontal. 
At K the structure is usually 3 or 4 in. 
above the floor. 

C. Just before entering the body of the medium 

the rod widens to a diameter of about 
7 in. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 31 

Let us analyse this statement of the operators 
and see how far it agrees with actual experimental 
results. According to the operators: — 

(1) The top of the columnar part of the cantilever 

which grips the undersurface of the table 
spreads out into a broad, flat surface, some- 
thing like a pancake or mushroom in shape. 

Compare this statement with the sensation I 
experienced on the sole of my boot (p. 28) when 
I asked that the operators should press on it with 
the kind of rod end used to levitate the table. I 
have said that "the rod termination began to 
change — not instantaneously, but taking about 
half a minute — and a kind of plasma which was 
softish and elastic spread over the sole of my boot. 
It felt somewhat like a thick pancake." 

Thus practical experiment agrees with the state- 
ment of the operators. 

(2) The top of the column grips the table by a 

suction or adhesive process. 

This absolutely agrees with experiment, as I 
shall show later. 

(3) The column itself is about 4 in. in diameter 

nearly over all its length, and is of practi- 
cally uniform cross-section. 

This agrees with the photographic result. 

(4f) There is a change of direction of the cantilever 
from vertical to more or less horizontal at 
a few inches above the floor. 

In the diagram this change is shown as more or 
less gradual, but I have some reason to suppose 



32 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

that it is, in fact, sudden. For one thing, the 
photograph indicates this. 

In R.P.P.j p. 194, I describe briefly the sensation 
experienced by touches with a small rod in which 
the end has been made very hard. I say that this 
psychic touch "feels exactly as though the rounded 
end of a material rod was pushed on one's arm, or 
foot, or other part of the body. The 'solidity' of 
the touching body is what impresses the experi- 
menter, for, no matter how carefully or softly the 
operators apply the touch, one feels as though the 
blunted end of a hard something — a something 
even made of metal — were being used." 

I wish to add that this is only one kind of touch- 
ing effect. The end of such a rod can be made 
as hard as iron. Another kind of touch feels as 
soft as the flesh on a baby's arm, and there are all 
intermediate varieties. 

The following is an extract from the account of 
a seance by Mr E. W. Oaten of Worrall, near 
Sheffield:— 

"Experiment 3. 

"I was next obliged — by request — with some 
raps under the table, and, placing my hand beneath 
it (palm downwards), the impacts came upon my 
finger tips, and at my request crept slowly up to 
my wrist. I turned my hand over (palm upwards) 
and the blows were repeated. I got the sensa- 
tion of a semicircular body about 8 in. across 
striking my hand, and the thought of a large boot 
came to me. I asked if the size of the 'rod' 
could be modified, and successive touches showed 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 33 

a progressive diminution in the size of the object, 
until it was less than 1 in. across. It seemed 
about the size and shape of a thumb, but quite as 
solid as metal. I did not notice any alteration of 
temperature, though the thought was in my mind. 
As the object rested in my palm I closed my fin- 
gers around it, and held it. It appeared to be a 
round rod which had been slightly flattened, and it 
was solid for about 2 in. from the extremity, when 
it became intangible. The rod was, however, rigid 
when I pushed and elastic when I pulled, and 
although I held it tightly there seemed to be no 
reaction upon the medium. I next put my foot 
under the table (heel on floor, toe in air) and asked 
that the sole be struck. Taps were heard which 
synchronised with the blows experienced on the 
sole of my boot, and these blows increased in 
strength until they approximated to well over 
10 lb., and I gave up the experiment, for it com- 
menced to be painful." 

The important observations in connection with 
this narrative are as follows: — 

(1) The largest rod end seemed to be of a shape 

more or less semicircular. 

(2) The diameter of the rod decreased in a series 

of graduations. 

(3) The smallest rod end seemed about the size 

and shape of a thumb, but it felt quite as 
solid and hard as meted. 

(4) When the experimenter's fingers were closed 

round the rod, it appeared to be a round 
rod slightly flattened. 



34 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

(5) The rod was solid for about 2 in. from its 
end, when it appeared to vanish or to be- 
come intangible. 

I now summarise and compare the sensations of 
myself and others with regard to the psychic rod 
terminations. 

The rod end is sometimes quite flat, and its out- 
line, especially with the larger sizes, is more or less 
circular. With the larger rod end the periphery 
appears to be hardened and finely serrated, though 
the ends themselves of these large rods are not 
hard, but appear to be softish and dense. The 
same rod end can greatly vary in diameter, and 
this changing in diameter can be felt while it is^ 
occurring, i.e. contraction and expansion can actu- 
ally be felt taking place. The diameter of the rod 
end may vary from a maximum of 7 or 8 in. to 
a minimum of something less than 1 in. The 
termination of the smaller rods, i.e. rods up to 
about 3 in. in diameter, can be either hard or soft 
to the touch, and can be flat or convex at the 
end, according to the will of the operators. 

The very small rods appear on the end often to 
be about the size and shape of a thumb, but they 
may be as rigid and hard as iron,, or, on the 
other hand, as soft as the flesh of a baby. The 
body of the rod itself, when felt, appears to be 
more or less circular, and seems solid for a few 
inches from the end, and then becomes intangible, 
though it resists pushes and pulls. As a general 
thing nothing can be seen, though the conditions 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 35 

of light sometimes allow of the hand and environs 
being plainly visible. 

Experiment 4. — Inherent Rigidity of the 
Psychic Rod 

In an experiment previously referred to (Ex- 
periment 2) I held my boot still, and the operators 
hit it in various ways with the rod termination. At 
the conclusion of the test I asked that the process 
be reversed. I asked the operators to hold the rod 
still while I pushed the sole of my boot against its 
end. I was dubious if this could be done. How- 
ever, I pushed inwards with my boot, and, sure 
enough, the rod was stationary a few inches up 
in the air and my boot came in contact with it. 
It felt softish but very dense. I kicked at it half 
a dozen times and always found it there. 

This result is important, for it shows that the 
rod can be held suspended in the air in a rigid con- 
dition: that is, it can be kept rigid by its own 
inherent qualities, and does not require to be 
pressing on material bodies to become so. 

Another example showing the self-rigidity of the 
rod is the following: — During one of the tests in 
which I was experimenting on the line of force 
between medium and table, I was poking about 
the floor in the medium's neighbourhood with a 
wooden rod when I accidentally came against the 
end of the psychic rod, which happened to be "out," 
and an inch or two up in the air. It was softish 
but dense, as described above, and offered much 
resistance to the force I was exerting in pushing 



36 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

the wooden rod about the floor. But it vanished 
in a second or two. One cannot mistake the end 
of a large rod when one comes in contact with it. 
It has a "feel" all its own: soft, dense, plasmic, 
half solid, half liquid — impossible adequately to 
describe in words. 

I have mentioned that the psychic rod grips the 
table by a suction process. This can be proved 
in various ways, but one of the most interesting 
verifications is afforded by the sense of hearing. 
'The suckers can often, in effect, be heard slipping 
over the wood. In Experiments in Psychical 
Science I have given a case in point. I described 
how a table standing on the floor was first levi- 
tated upright in the usual way, and was then 
turned over in the air, bit by bit, and with j erks, 
until it finally remained levitated upside down. 
The whole phenomenon was accomplished without 
the table once touching the floor. 

"While the table was inclined at about 45° in 
the air, the operators seemed to experience the 
greatest difficulty in carrying on this phenomenon. 
They seemed to have no trouble in levitating the 
table, and turning it over in the air to an angle 
of about 45°, but a halt always then occurred. 
Sometimes, even, the table dropped there, the 
completed phenomenon evidently being impossible 
despite the almost frantic efforts of the operators. 
At other times, after a brief halt and various 
shakings and jerkings in the air, the table was 
further turned over. At the critical point (angle 
45° or thereabouts) sounds were often heard on 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 37 

the surface and legs of the table, as though suckers 
were slipping over the wood or were being forced 
off or were taking new grips. There could be no 
mistaking these sounds, for they made quite an 
audible swish. On one or two occasions the table 
suddenly dropped 6 in. or so in the air, and 
simultaneously there was heard the swishing noise, 
the inference being that a sucker had been torn 
from its grip. The operators themselves say that 
during these abnormal levitations they have seen 
several psychic rods projecting from the medium 
simultaneously, and that they grip the surface, the 
legs, and the cross-bars (if the table possesses them) 
with the ends of these rods." 

I may say also that often while the phenomenon 
mentioned above was going on (it sometimes took 
two or three minutes to complete) I stood right 
over the table. The light permissible while this 
phenomenon was occurring was very often quite 
strong (probably because the structures "out" 
were large and powerful), and all the floor space 
and the medium were quite visible. The medium 
was sitting quite calmly on her chair with feet on 
floor, while the table was tossing about in the air 
3 ft. or so in front of her. It was a remarkable 
thing to hear the suckers gripping and sliding over 
the wood on the table, while absolutely nothing 
could be seen of the structures themselves. Yet, 
as I say, the whole floor space was under quite 
strong red illumination. 



38 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Study of the Working End of the Psychic 
Struct ore by Means of Impressions made 
by it on Clay or Putty 

If a tin or box containing modeller's clay, or 
putty, be placed within the circle space the opera- 
tors can, on request, make various marks on the 
clay, which marks are permanent and afford an 
indication of the shape and characteristics of the 
rod end which produces them. My purpose now 
is to make as complete a study as possible of these 
impressions so as to form a basis for deduction 
concerning the shape and form of the psychic rods. 
It has to be remembered that the structure itself 
is usually perfectly invisible all over its length in 
the red light, even at its termination, where it is 
palpable, although often one can see plainly all 
round its environs. 

As the floor of some of the impressions seemed 
to be sometimes lined with marks which resembled 
stocking marks, and as others of the impressions 
were more or less like boot marks or shoe marks, 
and accordingly, there was the question to out- 
siders of conscious or unconscious fraud on the 
part of the medium or members of the circle, we 
decided that while investigating this matter the 
sitters should have their feet and legs so tied that 
no one could get within 18 in. of the clay while 
the impressions were being obtained. It is to be 
remembered that the medium and members of the 
circle were just as interested as I was, and that 
they readily assented to anything I proposed in 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 39 

order to render the results as certain as possible 
and beyond any reasonable suspicion of doubt. 
Accordingly, when the medium had seated herself 
on her chair, I tied her ankles together very tightly 
with fine strong whipcord, using two or three 
'separate pieces of cord; then I tied her ankles to 
the back bar under her chair. The consequence 
was that the medium could not get within 18 
inches of the front of the vessel containing the 
clay. I always stood beside her, and her hands 
were tightly gripped by the sitters on either side 
of her during the whole seance. The strings and 
knots were always found intact at the end of the 
seance. Indeed, it usually took me five minutes 
or more to get her untied, and oftener than not 
the strings had to be cut. During the whole 
seance her chair did not move the fraction of an 
inch. Also, I tied the legs of the whole circle to 
their chairs with a strong rope, passing it round 
and round the legs of each member and round the 
legs of the chairs, so that any motion of the legs 
or feet of anyone was immediately evident by the 
pull on the end parts of the rope, which were 
tied to the chairs on either side of the medium. 
As, however, subsequent experiments showed, as 
was expected, that the whole of the phenomena 
was due to the medium only, it will readily be 
seen that the tying of the sitters was only a spec- 
tacular arrangement and of no consequence what- 
ever. I always endeavour to let the phenomena 
prove themselves, as it were, by their own results. 
The general phenomena at the Goligher circle 
have for so long been subject to such close scru- 



40 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

tiny by myself and others, and many of the ex- 
perimental results are so impossible by fraud (see 
R.P.P. and E.P.S.) that it would have been quite 
unnecessary to take any means to prevent fraud, 
for no fraud has ever been attempted, and each 
phenomenon has been proved genuine over and 
over again to the smallest detail. But as the circle 
wished it in this instance, so the very rigorous 
system of tying above mentioned was carried out. 
As the reader will see later, in my development 
of the structure theory, I place no importance 
whatever on the tying. I let the phenomena speak 
for themselves, which is a method independent 
of any precautions of that sort. But just as an 
incidental fact, the reader should bear in mind that 
during many of the seances for these impression 
tests the medium could not, by any means what- 
ever, even if she had wished it, get within 18 in. 
of the dish of clay with her feet while impressions 
were being made. At the beginning of each 
seance, after the tying, I allowed her by way of 
test to do her Utmost with her feet, but she was 
incapable of doing anything; and at the end of 
each seance I also experimented to see what she 
could do, but I invariably found that she could 
do nothing, and that the cords were, as I have 
said, intact and as tight as ever. Under these 
circumstances, then, the immediate impressions 
detailed below were obtained. 

In case it might be thought that the vessel con- 
taining the clay was moved over to the feet of 
the medium by one of the members of the circle, 
a large rectangular slab of wood was prepared, a 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 41 

narrow wooden edge was fix»?d around it, and it 
was then filled with clay. The size of this box 
was made such that it just fitted in tightly on the 
floor within the four legs of the table — so tightly 
that it could only be removed with difficulty at 
the end of the seance, as the legs of the table had 
to be slightly sprung to get round it, thus locking 
it in position. Impressions were obtained on this 
with as great facility as with a loose box, showing 
that the clay remained exactly where it was placed 
during the whole seance. Moreover, at the instant 
some of the larger and deeper impressions were 
made the sound of the blow was distinctly audible, 
and the place of origin was clearly on the clay 
under .the table. 

I will later in this book examine, in connection 
with other experiments, impression marks obtained 
on clay while the medium's feet and legs were 
locked and screwed into a test box. The results 
were exactly similar to those I am now about to 
examine. 

Generally speaking, the impressions obtained on 
the clay are of two types — (1) flat impressions, 
and (2) concave impressions. I will first deal 
with the former. 

By flat impressions I mean that the floor of such 
impressions is perfectly flat, as though made with 
a smoothing iron. Such impressions vary greatly 
in size and considerably in shape, although there 
is a kind of sameness about the latter which seems 
to reveal, as it were, a common origin: that is to 
say, the variation in shape would not appear to be 
due to any great variation in the end of the im- 



42 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

pressing rod, but to other causes which I shall 
specify later. 

The following diagrams and photographs give 
the main details of various kinds of flat impres- 
sions : — 

Fig. 12. — The extreme length was S 1 /^ in., and 
the extreme width 3 in. The impression was not 




Fig. 12. 



very deep and had no sharp edge, except along 
a small part of the periphery, where it was about 
tV in. deep. The whole was, however, slightly 
below the general level of the clay, and its outline 
could easily be made out, though, owing to the 
small depth of the impression, it would not photo- 
graph well. 

Fig. 13. — The extreme length was 3% in., and 
extreme breadth 2% in. While this impression 
was being obtained the table was levitated above 
the box of clay, and the impression was due to the 



v 



~~ '• ■ y 1 " "; * ■ " 

■ ' ....It ^.1^ 




AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 43 




Fig. 13. 



bottom end of the cantilever column resting on 
the clay while the top end of the same column was 
attached to the undersurface of the table and was 
levitating it. Consequently 
here and there the outline 
was somewhat smudged 
over, owing to the suction 
marks (which I will ex- 
plain later) overlapping 
occasionally the margin. 

Fig. 14. — Extreme length 
S 1 /^ in.; extreme width 2% 
in. In some places the out- 
line was very sharp and 
clear (S and K), and at 

others not so well defined (P), the pressure evi- 
dently not being quite uniform over the entire 
area. 

Fig. 15. — The top impression in the photograph 
is a typical " flat " one. Its maximum length was 
about 4 in., and its maximum breadth about 2% in. 
It was not more than about tV in. deep, and was a 
little deeper in some places than in others. The 
floor of the impression was nearly level and ap- 
peared quite clean and plain. 

Fig. 16. — The larger mark was a " flat " one, 
and was obtained while the seance table was levi- 
tated immediately above the clay. The photograph 
was taken from the clay. The levitation lasted 
for about a minute. 

The smaller impression (a set of three, resem- 
bling finger or toe marks) was given in response to 
a request to the operators to give three impressions 



44 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

with one rod close together, in order to show 
difference in size of rod terminations. 

Fig. 17. — This was a large flat impression ob- 
tained in response to a request to the operators for 
an impression on clay made by a visitor to the 

Outline not \)er\j 

/a clear here 




Fig. 14. 

seance while the circle was in Glasgow. The pho- 
tograph was taken from a plaster cast of the 
impression. 

Suction Marks on some of the Flat Impressions 
On flat impressions where there has been con- 
siderable force applied, such as where the seance 
table has been levitated immediately above the 
clay and where the clay was moderately soft, the 
marks show signs that the end of the structure has 
been gripping the clay by means of suction, just as 




V 




Fig. 16. 






Fig, 17. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 45 

a boy's sucker grips an object, for the suction 
marks are quite obvious where the structure end 
has been lifted from the clay. An example of this 
is seen in the large impression of fig. 16. More- 
over, the type of suction marks shows that the 
suction end of the rod termination must be a fine, 
thin membraneous kind of skin, because the clay 
has not been raised in large lumps, but has been 
lifted in small, crater-like pieces. It is quite im- 
possible to obtain such a mass of finely partitioned 
suction marks by means of any part of the bare 
foot being pressed into the clay and then raised, 
as the reader can easily discover by practical 
experiment. 

I had known for a long time that the ends of 
some types of the rod grip by suction, for the 
" swish " of the rods could be distinctly heard as 
they gripped various parts of the table, or as they 
were forced from their grip on the floor if the force 
applied to them were too great (see p. 36). 

Many such suction marks would appear to show 
conclusively, when taken in conjunction with other 
suction effects noted during the general course of 
the experiments (see E.P.S. and R.P.P.), that: 

(1) When the free end of the psychic rod is flat it 

can press on material substances and grip 
them by adhesion. 

(2) The gripping action is a true suction one, 

being due to a difference of air pressure, the 
air being squeezed out from the space be- 
tween the flat end of the rod and the body 
on which it is contacting. 



46 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

(3) In order to produce this suction effect, the end 
of the rod is covered with what appears to 
be a thin, pliable, skin. As a matter of fact 
the end of one of these large flat-ended rods 
often feels soft and plasm-like to the touch 
(see p. 36) . The very finely divided, crater- 
like appearance of most of the suction marks 
also shows decisively that the suction end of 
such rods must possess a soft, pliable surface. 

Elastic Distortions of the Rod End 

It is obvious from the diagrams and photographs 
given on other pages that there is a considerable 
variation in shape of the free end of the large flat- 
ended rods. Generally speaking the shape is more 
or less oval, at least in an unstrained condition of 
the rod end. But where any part of the flat end 
is subjected to a greater stress than another part, 
the boundary curve may considerably change. In 
impressions made on clay it was very seldom that 
the mechanical pressure was evenly applied all over 
the area of such impressions. Much oftener than 
not one edge of such impressions is somewhat 
deeper than the opposite edge, showing that the 
impressing force was not applied evenly over the 
area of contact, or that the applied force was not 
quite normal to the surface of the clay. I always 
asked the operators to press as evenly and uni- 
formly on the clay as they could, but, as I say, 
there was nearly always some slight variation, so 
that the floor of the impressions was really not 
quite horizontal, but inclined a little or varied a 
little in depth. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 47 

If the reader will examine the diagrams and 
photographs on this point, the matter will become 
clearer to him. In fig. 12, p. 42, there are signs 
of a slight ridge along the periphery at M, and 
at just about this portion of the boundary the 
curve becomes nearly a straight line. That is to 
say, the applied stress along the lower part of the 
surface is greater than upon the higher part, with 




Fig.JlS. 

the consequence that the boundary near M has 
suffered some distortion. Probably had the force 
been applied evenly over the whole area the 
boundary would have taken a form somewhat 
similar to that given in fig. 18. 

In fig. 13, p. 43, the two bounding lines towards 
the top have become practically straight, owing 
probably to the pressure being greater over the 
higher part of the area than the lower. If the 
pressure had been uniform the tapered end would 
probably have given place to a more oval form. 

In fig. 14, p. 44, the outline is very clear round 
parts of the periphery at S and K. This means 
that near these places the pressure was greater than 
at other parts of the area of contact, with the con- 



48 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

sequence that the boundary in the neighbourhood 
of P was pulled in, and instead of being more or 
less curved became nearly straight. 

In the Glasgow impression (fig. 17), one side of 
the boundary is almost straight and even a little 
concave, and on this side the impression is con- 
siderably deeper than on the opposite side. The 
mechanical pressure over the area near the straight 




Fig. 19. 

edge was therefore considerably greater than the 
pressure over the more remote parts of the area. 
The consequence is that the boundary has become 
straight (and even slightly concave) there, so as to 
take up the position automatically to Tesist the 
greater stress. The dotted part of fig. 19 shows 
approximately what would have been the shape of 
this impression for uniform distribution of load. 

On some of the large flat impressions there are 
two or more superimposed impressions, the boun- 
daries clearly altering in shape with the slight vari- 
ations in pressure over the area. 

I have examined many of these flat impressions 
and there can be no doubt that if the rod termina 




AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 49 

tion is applied quite normally to the clay and with 
a uniform pressure all over its area, the shape 
of the boundary is much as shown in fig. 20. 
In other words, the normal unstrained boundary is 
somewhat egg-shaped, with one 
end blunter than the other. The 
size may considerably vary, but 
in the unstrained condition the 
outline is symmetrical. It fol- 
lows from the fact that the 
boundary line can alter its curv- 
ature under the action of uneven 
and non-uniform stress that it 
must be elastic. If it were per- 
fectly rigid it could not alter its Fig. 20. 
shape in the least. It is there- 
fore an elastic curve, and can be distorted to suit 
variation of stress over the area. Summarising the 
results obtained from varying shapes assumed by 
the boundaries of the larger "flat" impressions, we 
have — 

(1) The normal boundary of the rod termination 

is in shape very similar to the longitudinal 
cross-section of an egg, the opposite ends 
having different radii of curvature. 

(2) If the pressure of the rod termination on the 

clay is not uniform over the area, or if the 
pressure is applied normally to the clay 
over some parts of the area and more or 
less inclined to the clay over other parts of 
the area, the normal boundary suffers dis- 
tortion, and parts of it may become straight, 
or even slightly concave, or on the rounded 



50 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

portions the radii of curvature may increase 
or diminish, with the consequence that the 
normal unstrained, egg-shape periphery is 
more or less departed from. 

(3) Although the normal unstrained boundary 

appears to be of practically constant shape, 
the area enclosed by that boundary may 
greatly vary from about 4 sq. in. to 10 or 
12 sq. in., according to the size of the rod 
termination. 

(4) The flat area of the rod is bounded by an 

elastic curve. 

The Characteristics of the Elastic Curve 
which forms the boundary of the 
Larger Flat-ended Psychic Rods 

If the reader will refer to p. 24, he will find 
recorded the sensation produced on the sense of 
touch by the boundary of the flat-ended rod. 
Mr Hunter says: "Without being requested to do 
so, the ' operators ' moved this rod-like structure 
until I felt the clearly defined edges of the circular 
blunt end. This was accompanied by a sensation 
of roughness, as though the edge were serrated: 
such a feeling, I believe, as would be given by a 
substance similar to very fine emery paper." 

It follows, if the boundary line of the rod end 
produces this sensation of roughness and of being 
serrated to the sense of feeling, that the flat 
impressions produced on clay should also indicate 
this quality. And we find that it is so. On many 
of the clay impressions on the edge and in the 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 51 

neighbourhood of the edge the serration marks are 
clearly seen. These marks are in general fine (in 
agreement with Mr Hunter's analysis), and al- 
though quite apparent on the clay, especially with 
the aid of a magnifying glass, do not show very 
well on photographs. 

The Flat Impression obtained at Glasgow 

This is an exceedingly interesting impression 
owing to its strength. There were many spec- 
tators present in the seance room on the occasion 
upon which it was obtained, and doubtless the 
operators had a greater and more varied amount 
of psychic stuff than usual upon which to draw. 
The experimenter placed a shallow circular tin 
vessel (similar to the ones I use), filled with putty 
(not clay), with its surface quite smooth and about 
7 in. in diameter, under the seance table, while he 
himself stood within the circle on the side of the 
table remote from the medium, who on this occa- 
sion was not tied, but was free to place her foot 
in the putty if she had so desired. 

Fig. 17 shows a photograph of a plaster cast 
taken from the putty mould. The impression is 
really due to the end of one of the largest rods 
thrown out from the medium's body, but to a 
careless eye, or to an eye which has not seen any 
other impressions taken at the circle, looks more or 
less like the mark of the sole of a lady's shoe. It 
will be observed that the left-hand edge of the pho- 
tograph of the impression is almost a straight line, 
and that near the bottom left-hand end there are 



52 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 



a series of little holes somewhat resembling the 
stitch marks on a shoe sole. And again, the origi- 
nal impression had grit marks on the bottom of it 
(i.e. it was covered with particles of grit), more or 
less as though the sole of a boot had actually made 
the mark. The depth of the impression was about 
Vie in. on its deepest side (the straight line side), 

and about Vzz in. on the 
other side. The "toe" 
part was not so deep as 
the rest. The plaster cast 
shows the dimensions 
given on fig. 23 (it is to 
be remembered that a 
certain amount of con- 
traction has to be allowed 
for, perhaps 10 per cent., 
if the mould was allowed 
to dry before the cast was 
taken). 

Naturally, at a first 
glance this looks as though 
the medium or one of the circle had managed 
to put a foot in the putty with the intention of 
fraudulently making the impression. But such a 
supposition is nevertheless entirely wrong, and it 
shows the danger of coming to a conclusion from 
insufficient data. Fig. 22 shows a photograph 
from a plaster cast of one of the actual shoes worn 
by the medium on the occasion of the seances at 
Glasgow. These shoes were bought in Belfast 
before the visit, and were worn at all the seances. 
The reader will see at once that the shape of 




Fig. 2i. 




Fig. 22. 




fe 




Fig. 24. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 53 

the medium's shoes is entirely different from that 
of the impression. On the real shoe there is no 
straight portion; the radius of curvature at the toe 
is much greater than that of the impression, and 
the shoe is altogether larger, even allowing for 
contraction. The stitch holes in the real shoe are 
seen plainly all round, and are entirely different 
from the small holes seen in the impression. In 
the impression the holes are proportionately nearer 
the edge than the stitch marks in the shoe, while 
in the impression " stitch " marks only occur per- 
ceptibly at one place and do not go completely 
round. It is not necessary to labour the point, 
as the general difference between the impression 
and shoe are obvious- to everyone. Besides the 
medium's shoe I also took impressions of all the 
shoes worn at the seance, and not one of them 
resembles in any detail the impression. The 
resemblance is only superficial, but sufficiently near 
to deceive anyone who only casually glanced at 
the impression. Later on I will show that the 
impression is the blunt end of one of the largest 
of the rapping rods. 

Fig. 23 gives a view of the impression taken 
from a slightly different angle than fig. 19. 

Fig. 24 shows an enlarged view. 

Let us analyse the series of six or seven little 
holes visible near the bottom of the right-hand 
boundary line of the impression. These are seen 
under different aspects in figs. 17, 23, and 24. In 
the smaller photographs they look like separate 
and distinct holes evenly spaced, but an examina- 



54 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

tion of the actual plaster cast taken from the putty 
and of fig. 24 indicates something very different. 
At the edge where the marks appear there is a 
series of little ridges going right across the edge 
(which is here very sharp), consisting of little 
hillocks and little hollows alternately. The ridge 
portions stand up between the hollows, and they 
do not show up very well in the photograph. 
What we have here is a thick and not very elastic 
skin stretched over a more or less elastic frame. 
At the position where the holes occur the depth is 
relatively great (about i 5 f in.}, and it is obvious 
that the skin has been under considerable pull 
(though not to the point of rupture). The con- 
sequence is that the skin has in that vicinity been 
stretched beyond its elastic limit, so to speak, so 
that the little holes really represent tiny bits of 
skin under less stress than the skin immediately 
round about. Over the edge of the framework, 
which is itself not quite smooth, the skin has been 
pulled into a state of " set," and the grooves be- 
tween the serration marks are places where the 
natural elasticity of the skin has enabled it to take 
up positions in conformity with the state of particu- 
lar stress round about them. In other words, all 
along the margin here the skin has local spots 
where it is stretched tightly and contiguous spots 
where it is not so tightly stretched, these spots 
occurring alternately, the net result being to give 
the appearance of little holes as shown in figs. 17, 
23, and 24. 

Although the photographs do not show them 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 55 

plainly, the whole edge right down to the " toe " 
is thus serrated, but much more finely than the 
discernible serration at the bottom. 

The reader should also note that in the neigh- 
bourhood of the holes the elastic boundary line 
has become straight, and even a little concave, due 
to the resisting pressure of the putty. 

In fig. 24 it will be observed on the straight line 
side of the impression that the series of little marks 
near the edge, which at first are a little distance 
from the edge, gradually approach the edge and 
ultimately work into it. The reason for this is that 
where the marks are plainly visible the stress, as 
I have said, on the film covering the rod termina- 
tion is large, and that this stress gradually becomes 
less as we proceed toward the "toe" of the im- 
pression. In this photograph the character of the 
elastic ridge which forms the boundary of the im- 
pression is clearly seen, and especially at the "toe" 
it is very plain, because at this point the whole 
covering film has completely broken away from 
the boundary ridge there. In the clay at this 
point the serrations can be seen extending down- 
wards on the inside of the curved ridge for a 
considerable distance. 

The reader should also note on the left side of 
the impression how very plain and sharp the ridge 
is. There the stress has not been sufficient to 
cause the film to break away from the enveloping 
ridge. But the reader should note how, as soon as 
the curvature begins to increase — all round the 
" toe " — the film has completely broken away. This 



56 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

is an absolute proof, if such were needed, that noth- 
ing in the nature of a boot sole has made the im- 
pression, for in that case it is a physical impossi- 
bility to have a thin ridge standing isolated at the 
toe with a sharp depression on either side of it. The 
facts observable on the impression, on the other 
hand, are exactly compatible with a thick and 
more or less elastic film, stretched over a thin, 
somewhat serrated, elastic frame. The laws of 
stress on such a stretched film are exactly worked 
out. 

The reader should examine the boundary curve 
shown in this photograph very carefully. The 
elastic serrated frame can be plainly seen under, 
and in some places separated from, the covering 
film. At the bottom, where the film is not 
ruptured, the small serrations can be plainly made 
out. Just at the commencement of the curved 
portion of the " toe " on the left, where the skin 
first begins to break away, a series of fine lines 
is seen where the film is being pulled over the 
sharp edge. 

The Character of the Surface of the 
Flat Impressions 

Sometimes the surface of the flat impressions 
was perfectly clean; sometimes it had dirt marks 
upon it; sometimes it had little pieces and flakes of 
what looked like coal dust upon it. 

Many of the flat impressions had little particles 
of black grit upon them; very tiny particles for 
the most part, but by reason of their colour very 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 57 

noticeable. There was no coal dust on the floor as 
far as could be discerned, and there was nothing 
resembling the black gritty particles on the sole 
of the medium's boots or shoes. Even when she 
wore special experimental shoes with the soles 
absolutely clean — as I took care to well ascertain 
beforehand, — on some of the flat marks these 
mysterious black particles appeared. I at length 
traced them down to small pieces of the black 
lacquering on the inside of the shoes near the top. 
The shoes were cloth ones, but round the top on 
the inside there was a band of cloth which was 
covered with black lacquer. Now here and there 
this was scraped away, and little pieces from it were 
found embedded on the flat marks. Needless to 
say the thing could not be done fraudulently. 
Supposing that the medium were desirous of 
making a mark with the sole of her soles on the 
clay and in some mysterious manner got her feet 
loose and applied the shoe to the impression, it 
would still have been impossible to leave the 
black gritty specks upon the impression, because 
the soles of her shoes had none of these specks on 
them, and to get them the lacquer from the inside 
of the shoe would have to be scraped hard and 
the tiny bits placed on the sole, which is impos- 
sible. It is little things like these which give the 
lie to superficial judgments of the more delicate 
aspects of psychic phenomena. Physical pheno- 
mena of the type I am considering are closely 
connected in their origin with various parts of the 
human body, and the utmost care is needed in 



58 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

scrupulously and fairly dealing with them. Above 
all, no hasty generalisation may be assumed from 
immature data. 

The place of origin of these black grit marks 
having thus been ascertained, the place of origin 
in the body of the medium of rods whose termina- 
tions left the pieces of grit in the surface of the 
impressions was strongly inferred. In brief, some 
of the rods have their origin round about the feet 
of the medium: or rather the end film of such rods 
has its origin there; the film, which is a fairly 
tough kind of psychic skin, issues from the feet, 
and in its passage upwards between the stocking 
and inside of the shoe scrapes off tiny flakes of 
black lacquer which adhere to it and are deposited 
in the impressions. 

The reader should remember that the ends of 
these psychic rods, which look more or less like 
shoe marks, are usually fairly soft to the touch 
(not at all like leather), and that they are bounded 
by a hardish periphery, Neither the human foot 
nor a shoe sole is soft on the inside with a hard 
boundary round it. Neither conforms to both 
conditions. 

I will not say anything further as to the place of 
origin of these psychic rods here, as I will have to 
go into the matter in detail later on. 

Occasionally in the flat impressions small par- 
ticles of dust were left. In such cases the flat rod 
termination had, previously to making the impres- 
sion, been scraping on the floor or levitating the 
table by upward pressure on its undersurface, or 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 59 

had twisted round a leg of the table in order to 
move it about, and had in consequence caused any 
dirt or dust particles to adhere lightly to its sur- 
face film. For the reader must remember that al- 
though the rod termination is generally quite 
invisible even in fairly good red light, it is never- 
theless for all intents and purposes quite solid and 
like any ordinary material structure. In the lan- 
guage of the spiritualists, the end portion of the 
psychic rod is for the moment " materialised." 

I have noticed that when the surface of the 
impression is quite clean, as it sometimes is, the 
impression has usually been made before other 
phenomena have occurred, i.e. before the particular 
rod used has had time to get dirty by contact with 
the dusty floor or table. 

So far as could be seen by the naked eye, none 
of the flat impressions were covered by any kind 
of imprint. They appeared in most cases perfectly 
level and without design. All, or nearly all, the 
concave impressions were covered with what looked 
like marks such as would be made by a stocking 
pressing in the- clay. For a long time this lack 
of design on the floor of the flat impressions was 
extremely puzzling, and much thought and many 
seances were devoted to trying to evolve a reason 
for it, because by the time these experiments were 
well under way, I had come to certain conclusions 
with regard to the formation and shape of the 
psychic structure, and these conclusions did not 
accord with the apparent fact that the flat im- 
pressions were plain and unencumbered with 



60 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

design. But, like most difficulties when strenu- 
ously tackled, this particular one surrendered 
before the attacks made upon it, as I will show in 
the proper place. 

Summarising for the sake of clearness the results 
obtained : — 

(1) The boundary line of the rod terminations 

causing the " flat " impressions is much 
harder than the contained surface. 

(2) This boundary line is made of elastic material, 

and this material is finely serrated. 

(3) The flat end of the rod consists of a film or 

skin of matter stretched over the elastic 
boundary ridge. 

(4) The skin is more or less elastic, but its elas- 

ticity is strictly limited, for if subjected to 
too much stress it ruptures and leaves the 
serrated enveloping frame standing alone. 

(5) The character of the skin or film covering the 

rod end is such that small particles of grit 
and dirt adhere to it, if it has been in con- 
tact with such. 

(6) The place of origin of some of the flat-ended 

rods in the body of the medium is indicated 
by little flakes of black lacquer left in some 
of the impressions. These flakes adhere to 
the skin or film, as it is issuing from the 
foot of the medium, through the space 
between her stocking and the inside of her 
shoe. As it issues it touches and rubs 
against the black lacquer on the inside of 
the shoe, and some of this sticks to it. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 61 

(7) The floor of the flat marks is apparently- 
covered by no kind of pattern, such as is 
the case with the concave impressions. 

The Concave Impressions 

I have now to deal with the second type of the 
impressions which have been obtained in clay. 
These are what I call the concave ones, to dis- 
tinguish them from those with which I have 
already dealt, the flat ones. 

The size of these marks varies from the size 
of a mark one could make with one's little finger 
to a size of 4 or 5 sq. in. The largest of them is 
less than half the size of the largest flat marks. The 
rod terminations responsible for them are some- 
times quite soft to the touch and sometimes 
extremely hard, as hard as iron, for instance. 

Nearly all these marks are covered with the 
imprint of stocking fabric. 

If the operators are asked to give such an 
impression without proviso as to the nature of 
the imprint upon it, the floor of the cavity is 
usually lined with stocking marks. But it is 
not necessary that the floor should be so lined. 
On request to the operator, it can be made 
without the stocking marks lining. As I will 
show later, this lining of the impression with 
imprints from the stockings of the medium is 
an automatic process due to the issuing of cer- 
tain types of psychic rods from various parts 
of the feet and legs of the medium, and affords 
a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the 



62 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

structure of such rods, their place of origin in 
the medium and their general method of opera- 
tion. 

The Shape of the Concave Impressions 
There is every reason to believe that the 
standard shape, if I may so put it, of the con- 
cave impressions is the same as the non-dis- 
torted shape of the flat impressions, i.e. more 
or less oval. But as with the flat impressions, 
the boundary may be distorted in various ways, 
the chief cause of distortion, however, appear- 
ing to be brought about by great variation of 
pressure normal to the rod end. That is to 
say, in order to obtain the various kinds of 

cavities desired, the end film 

A B C ^ as *° ^e P resse d ou t 

with different degrees of 

pressure over its area: a 
greater pressure near the 
centre parts, for instance, 
than near the edges, with 
the consequence that the 
FlG * 2 S- boundary is often pulled in, 

and the whole impression 
often becomes narrower the deeper the concavity. 
The following are some of the approximate shapes 
obtained with concave impressions (fig. 25) : — 

A. Normal shape. 

B. Boundaries pulled in owing to specially deep 

concavity. 

C. Distorted shape owing to the pressure being 

non-uniformly distributed. 







W^m 



m 




















■'>■ 














w 


m 






l 




■■ 


f 






m 


^^^^Nj 


." 














. 


' 










' 


. 




r 








J 























Fir;. 26. 





Fig. 27. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 63 



Fig. 26 shows a concave impression obtained in 
Glasgow (at the same seance at which the fiat 
impression, already referred to, was obtained). It 
is pretty nearly circular, and superimposed on it 
are two other smaller marks. The stocking im- 
print is plainly visible. 

Fig. 15 shows two impressions taken on the 
same piece of clay. The top one is flat and has 
already been described. The lower one is concave 
and lined with stocking marks. 

Fig. 27 shows three concave marks (obtained on 
one dish of clay) of different shapes and depths, 
all lined with stocking marks. 

The following are sketches of concave impres- 
sions with data concerning 
them : — 

Fig. 28. — The gusset 
mark of stocking is seen 
near the top of the im- 
pression. 

Fig. 29. — Impressions 
of a small stocking-lined 
mark, only very slightly 
indented (about t« in.), 
near A. 

Fig. 30. — A concave im- 
pression lined with stock- 
ing marks. Along the 

periphery at A there seemed to be a slipping of 
the film. The blow was evidently a slanting one 
(left to right in the figure). The elastic frame- 
work at A has been dug into the clay further 




Gussel" 
Line 



Indent 
atton 
about 



Straight 



'8 



^8 u»ide 
at tuidest 
part. 



Fio. 28. 



64 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 



than the covering film could stand, so that the 
latter has evidently ruptured. The stocking 





Fig. 29. 



Fig. 30. 



marks are seen going over and beyond the elastic 
framework. 

Study of the Markings on the Floor 
of the Concave Impressions 

As has already been mentioned, most of the 
concave impressions were found to be lined with 
what looked like stocking marks. The first 
matter that suggested itself, of course, was to 
make quite sure that the markings really were 
stocking marks and were not something that only 
looked like them. Accordingly stockings similar 
to those the medium was wearing were pressed 
into the clay, and the markings thus produced 
were found very similar to those obtained at the 
seances. Finally, the actual stockings worn at a 
seance by the medium were thus experimented 
with after the seance, — after a seance at which 
many such impressions were obtained — and it was 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 65 

established beyond all doubt that the floor of the 
psychic impressions bore the imprint of a texture 
at first sight identical with the texture of the 
medium's stockings. 

In spite of all that could be done in the way of 
tying up the feet and legs of the medium so that 
it was quite impossible for such parts of her an- 
atomy to get within a couple of feet of the dish of 
clay, or for the dish of clay to be moved from its 
position under the table, these stocking-lined marks 
were obtained in great abundance. The thud 
of the rod which made the larger ones on the clay 
could be distinctly heard as it impacted the clay in 
the centre of the circle space, during which time I 
watched the springs under the medium's chair to 
see if they moved, and the ropes which bound the 
legs of the sitters to their chairs. But nothing 
moved, and, as I have already said, the tying was 
always found intact at the end of the experiments. 
The matter was as mysterious to the medium and 
sitters as to myself, and we sat night after night,' 
varying the systems of tying, but to no purpose. 
The marks were obtained on demand. The 
medium and sitters were only too willing to try 
anything I desired in an endeavour to probe the 
mystery, and they allowed me to tie the medium's 
legs and feet in any way I chose, submitting with 
a reasonable spirit and good humour to nights of 
trouble and inconvenience. I hereby thank them 
for the trouble they went to, and for their hearty 
co-operation in a part of a psychic problem 
which, if it had remained unsolved, might have 



66 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

placed the totally false stigma of fraud upon the 
medium — at least in the estimation of persons who 
fail to understand the close connection between 
the body of the medium and physical phenomena 
in general. 

I have said that I soon established that the 
floor linings of the psychic impressions bore im- 
prints apparently similar to various parts of the 
stockings worn by the medium. The next thing 
to find out was whether the imprint was a direct 
or reserved one, i.e. whether it was a mark such 
as would be made by pressing a part of the 
ordinary outside of the stocking directly upon the 
clay, or whether it was one obtained by pressing 
the inside of the stocking upon the clay. It did 
not take long to discover that the former was 
the case and that the floor of the psychic concave 
impressions was lined with stocking marks almost 
exactly in the manner it would be lined if the 
ordinary outside of the stocking were pushed into 
the clay. 

There is, however, one extremely important 
point of difference which will be explained in the 
proper place. 

Solution of the Problem as to why the 
Floor of the Flat Impressions is appar- 
ently Unlined with Stocking Marks and 
the Concave Impressions are nearly 
always so Lined 

As I have already said, when the floor of the 
flat impressions was examined by the unaided eye 




Fie. 32. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 67 

or even by the help of a magnifying glass, no 
pattern of any kind appeared on it. Nothing 
resembling stocking marks was to be seen. It 
unfortunately happened that I had gathered 
together a collection of all kinds of psychic marks 
and that I spent weeks in examining them without 
resorting to photography. Having failed to reach 
a solution, I had all the impressions photo- 
graphed. It is well known that photography will 
show up faint processes which are invisible to the 
eye, and in this way I obtained a hint as to the 
solution. Then I had some of the photographs of 
the flat impressions enlarged, when immediately 
all difficulties vanished. 

Fig. 31 is an enlargement of the flat impression 
shown in fig. 15. The reader will notice on many 
places on the floor of the impression that the 
stocking marks are visible. Especially is this so 
at the lower end. A careful inspection will show 
that the marks are visible all over the floor, but 
that in most places the regular systematic arrange- 
ment of the stocking imprint has been distorted 
and partly covered over. The markings, instead 
of running in parallel lines everywhere, only do so 
here and there. They have been twisted, distorted, 
and thickened, and the interstices between the 
threads have been more or less filled in. But for 
all that, the stocking markings are there, which 
is the main point. To the eye the floor of this 
impression appeared quite smooth. 

Fig. 32 is an enlargement of part of another 
apparently smooth flat impression. Here, also, 




68 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

especially at the bottom and on the right-hand 

side, the form of the stocking markings can be 
seen, but, as in fig. 31, the regular for- 
mation of these markings has become 
distorted. The individual threads have 
become twisted and thickened, and many 
of the interstices between them have been 
filled or partly filled in. Nevertheless 
there is no doubt that the stocking fabric 
is there but has suffered modification. 
fig. 33. An examination of every impression, 
concave or flat, was made by the unaided 

eye, by magnifying glasses and by photography, 

and the result is as follows: — 

First Generalisation 

When the medium wears stockings nearly every 
psychic impression is lined with stocking marks. 

Points of Detail 

Many of the concave marks are lined with such 
perfection that at a first glance it would appear 
that the actual stocking had been in the clay. But 
the stocking marks can be greatly modified. The 
delicate pattern and tracery of the cotton threads 
can be distorted, thickened, partly covered over, or 
broken, but nevertheless in all such cases enough 
of the pattern is left to make it certain that the 
stocking pattern is present in nearly every kind of 
impression. 

There remains the question: Why should the 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 69 

impression on the clay sometimes have very clear 
stocking imprint and sometimes have the stocking 
imprint partly covered over or broken up? The 
reason is that the actual psychic structure is covered 
by a film of matter, which film is formed of psychic 
matter oozing round about the little holes in the 
stocking fabric. It is at first in a semi-liquid state, 
and it collects and partly sets on the outer cover- 
ing of the stocking. It is of a glutinous, fibrous 
nature, and takes almost the exact form of the 
stocking fabric. It is pulled off the stocking by 
the operators, and is then built round the end of 
the psychic structure, which, when placed in a dish of 
clay, naturally leaves an imprint similar to a stock- 
ing. In a large flat impression the skin as it leaves 
the stocking of the medium would be too thin to 
withstand the heavy pulls and pushes it would 
be subjected to over such a large area, and accord- 
ingly it is thickened and strengthened by the 
operators applying more materialising matter to 
it. This additional psychic matter oozes round 
the regular imprint, distorts it, partly covers it, 
and twists the regular formation out of parallel- 
ism. Sometimes, for a very deep impression on 
the clay, such as the flat Glasgow one, the film has 
to be made so thick that nearly all the original skin 
bearing the stocking imprint is covered over so that 
only here and there can traces of the original 
imprint be seen. Nevertheless, as I have already 
said, the stocking fabric, clear or distorted, is 
apparent on nearly every impression, if at the time 
of the seance the medium is wearing stockings. 
I have said that though the imprint of the stock- 



70 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

ing fabric on the clay is at first sight very similar 
to that which would be made by the medium's 
actual stocking impressing the clay, there is one 
important point of difference. It is as follows: — 
The psychic impression is altogether sharper 
than that which can be made by a stockinged foot. 
Any part of the latter, when pressed into the clay, 
leaves a good enough outline of the stocking fab- 
ric, but it is a dull, blunt outline owing to the solid 
foot behind the stocking exerting a squeezing 
effect, no matter how lightly it may be applied. 
The psychic impression, on the other hand, has 
little raised edges projecting upwards from the 
impression left by each thread, which effect, as 
many experiments have proved, it is quite impos- 
sible to obtain with the actual stocking. In short, 
a thorough series of tests shows that with a soft 
stocking no amount of juggling can get the actual 
sharp effect obtained by the real psychic structure,, 
This effect, however, could be exactly obtained if 
a fine viscous material were to cover the stocking 
fabric and were then to harden or "set" on it some- 
what, and the mould being pulled off were then 
to be pressed in the clay. This, indeed, is what 
actually happens. The mould after it has "set" 
is not nearly so pliable as the actual stocking 
fabric, with the consequence that when it is 
pressed into the clay it leaves a sharp, clear im- 
pression which cannot be obtained with the actual 
fabric. Thus, while the psychic rod end and the 
stockinged foot both leave in the clay an outline 
of the stocking fabric, the quality of the one is 
distinct from that of the other. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 71 

I am now going to describe an experiment which 
was carried out to see if I could get any informa- 
tion showing in what part of the medium's body 
the psychic rods had their origin. It was fairly 
obvious, of course, that some of these rods issued 
from the neighbourhood of the feet and ankles of 
the medium, for the character of the stockinged 
lining of the floor of many of the concave impres- 
sions showed that to be the case. Moreover, dur- 
ing rapping I have intercepted with my bare hand 
the space in front of the ankles and feet of the 
medium, and I have distinctly felt a cold kind of 
breeze issuing from the neighbourhood of her 
ankles and region just above her shoes: a kind of 
breeze which appeared to be caused by material 
particles of a cold, disagreeable, spore-like matter. 
There was no solid body whatever beyond her 
ankle where I intercepted the flow of these par- 
ticles, but nevertheless they were an integral part 
of the rapping rod, for immediately I intercepted 
them the rapping ceased and could not be re- 
sumed for quite a long period of time (see R.P. 
P., p. 225). As a matter of fact, I shall show 
later, what I was really doing was to cut across 
the psychic structure close to the body of the 
medium: the part of the structure which was not 
heavily materialised, as the end is, but which 
nevertheless appeared to contain within it and in 
motion outwards from the ankles of the medium 
material particles of some kind. 

In order to render the purpose of the series of 
experiments about to be described intelligible to 
the reader, it is necessary that I should summarise 



72 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

what was already known and what was conjec- 
tured about the psychic rods which issued from the 
body of the medium, and which were the instru- 
ments employed to produce the phenomena. In 
the first place, each psychic rod in the neighbour- 
hood of its extremity was solid, i.e. built up of 
matter solid to the touch, and therefore presuma- 
bly of matter with which we are ordinarily fam- 
iliar. At a few inches or less, from its extremity 
this appearance of solidity vanished and nothing 
could be felt but a flow of what appeared to be 
material particles, if the line of the structure were 
intercepted by the hand of the experimenter. That 
is to say, from a distance only a few inches from 
its extremity right up to the body of the medium 
all appearance of solidity vanished, and nothing 
could be felt in the line of the structure but a flow 
of cold, spore-like particles. In other words, the 
solidity seemed to change to something resembling 
a gaseous state. Nevertheless — and let this be 
well marked and digested — the whole rod, appar- 
ently made up of a solid end and a gaseous body, 
operated exactly as if it were wholly solid from the 
body of medium outwards. It resisted pull, push, 
and shear stress of large magnitude. And in this 
sort of thing resides the chief mystery connected 
with the physical phenomena of spiritualism. 

Each psychic rod structure is then to all intents 
and purposes a solid body at its free end (the end 
furthest from the medium). Also, the part of the 
rod connecting the body of medium to the solid 
end of the rod contains within it what appear to be 
solid material particles in a state of motion from 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 73 

the medium outwards. So that each rod contains 
matter throughout which is cognisable by our 
senses. The question arises as to how and where, 
with reference to the body of the medium, the 
materialisation or solidity of the rod termination is 
effected. The rod moves straight into and out 
of the medium's body. Is the end materialised 
immediately it leaves her body, or is the structure 
first fully ejected and then materialised at the 
extremity afterwards? And when a developed 
rod, after producing phenomena, is pulled back 
into her body, is it pulled in integrally, or is the 
solid or materialised end first dematerialised ; and 
if the latter is the case, is the dematerialisation 
effected far from her body, or just when the solid 
end reaches her body? As the free end is, for all 
practical purposes and for the time being, an 
ordinary solid body, and as it has been shown to 
possess adhesive and suction qualities, it is reason- 
able to assume that, if the opportunity were 
presented, particles of suitable substance would 
adhere to it if such were placed in contact with it. 
And furthermore, if, when the rod was pulled into 
the body of the medium, dematerialisation really 
occurred just before entering the body, that such 
foreign matter, adhering to the solid end of the 
rod, would, on dematerialisation, be deposited at 
the spot where it occurred, and give important 
data as to the point of issue of the rod. 

The above was the method of reasoning upon 
which I proceeded to carry out the tests about to 
be described. 

I bought a special pair of stockings for the 



74 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

medium's use. In these I cut a series of small 
holes, on the left-hand side of each, round the 
heels, at the lower part of the ankles, and at the 
toes. The medium put on the pair of shoes used 
at Glasgow, and I saw that they were tightly laced 
and the laces tied in three knots. Then she placed 
her feet together on the floor, and I tied her ankles 
tightly together with three separate pieces of whip- 
cord, and then tied the whipcord round her ankles 
to the back rail of the chair underneath it. I let 
her see what she could do in the way of getting 
her feet or her shoes loose, but she could do noth- 
ing. At the end of the seance her ankles were as 
tightly tied as at the beginning, and likewise the 
laces of her shoes.. 

I placed a box of clay under the table, and by 
direct measurement found that with the extreme 
amount of stretch the medium could not get her 
toes within 18 in. of the front of it. 

Then I took a tin dish some 12 in. in diameter, 
filled with extremely soft clay, so soft that it was 
in a plastic condition and placed it under the table. 
The surface of this was approximately smooth 
at the commencement of the test. I asked the 
operators to make any marks on this they wished, 
to do, in fact, anything they liked with it so long 
as they did things that would be helpful to me in 
solving the problem of the rods. I asked them to 
give three raps when they were finished with their 
experiments. The operators worked at the clay 
in this dish for ten minutes or so, evidently finding 
its soft state to their liking. However, at the end 
of that time the three raps were given, and I 




Fig. 34. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 75 

proceeded to examine minutely the scene of their 
operations. 

JL 

Before, however, the three little raps were heard 
indicative of the fact that the operators had fin- 
ished and were ready for me to examine the clay, 
Mrs Morrison had called out that she felt herself 
touched just below the ankle at the front of her 
foot on her stocking, exactly in the space left 
between the buckle of her shoe and the shoe 
proper. Mr Morrison also said that he felt him- 
self being touched on the boot. 

We examined the place on Mrs Morrison's stock- 
ing where she had felt the psychic touch, and on 
the spot indicated there was left a small mark 
covered with firm white granules in clay whose 
shape and size are approximately that shown in 
fig. 33. Mr Morrison says the touch felt very 
soft, just as though it was caused by something 
covered with flesh as soft as a baby's. 

There was also found a small clay mark on 
Mr Morrison's boot at the place where he had felt 
himself touched. 

Fig. 34 shows the state of the clay in the tin 
dish after the operators had finished with it. As 
the photograph clearly indicates, it had been 
pushed about and hacked in a variety of ways. 
Some of the holes were nearly an inch deep, and it 
was evident that the operators had not desired to 
make definite impressions so much as to use the 
semi-liquid clay to convey information to me with 
regard to the state of solidity, adhesive powers, 
and other data concerning the psychic arms. At 
the right-hand bottom edge of the clay there was a 



76 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

long sharp -edged piece completely removed from 
the clay, as though cut out with a sharp knife. 
The sharpness of the edge of some of these con- 
cave impressions is extraordinary, and I shall have 
occasion to refer to it again. There were a great 
number of clay marks on the floor between the 
medium and the dish, and on either side of the 
dish. There were also marks on the undersurface 
and sides and legs of the table. On the floor at 
the side of the dish, remote from the medium, a 
little, almost spherical ball of clay was found. 

There was a considerable amount of clay found 
on certain parts of both shoes of the medium, on 
her stockings, and on the whipcord with which her 
ankles were tied together. 

The following is a summary — for convenience 
of reference — of the clay marks found on the 
medium's shoes and stockings. (The latter were 
carefully removed immediately after the seance, 
and submitted to most careful and prolonged 
examination. I will deal in detail with them later 

"' Bight Shoe 

(a) No clay on the sole or on the heel. 

(b) On right-hand side, along the joint between 

the sole and the cloth upper, for a distance 
of about 4i in., a thick layer of clay pushed 
into the seam as far as it could go ( fig. 35 ) . 

(c) On the undersurface, at the arch between heel 

and sole, a considerable amount of clay, 
striated, as though produced by something 
covered with stocking marks. These stri- 
ated bands crossed the leather at about 45° 
(fig. 36). 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 77 

These striated marks in the clay come from un- 
der the instep at A (fig. 37) and go up the outside 



Thick Clay Line. 
Here, evidently 
Resting on Both Sides 

OF THE SEAM & PULLED IN. 
Fig. 35. 





On the undersurface here, much clay with 

parallel structure marks crossing (he leather at about 

45°. Markings similar to stocking marks quite plain On 
some of it 

Fig. 36. 




Fig. 37. 

of the cloth to B, at top of shoe (there are traces 
of the path AB, but not very plain ones), and then 
down from B along the cloth on the inside of the 



78 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

shoe to C, near the toe. (The path BC is shown 
dotted on the diagram. ) The whole of this striated 
path is very similar to the path that would be 
traced out by an actual toe covered with clay, 
which came from the region between the shoes of 
the medium, crossed the instep at about 45° in 
contact with the leather to A, moved up to B, in 
contact with the outside of the cloth, and then 
downwards from B to C, in contact with the cloth, 
but on the inside of the shoe. Needless to say, 
supposing the medium had been able to put her 
stockinged toe in the dish of clay, she could not 
have traced the very definite line along and under- 
neath the instep and neatly up the side of the shoe. 
It is evident that the psychic rod which made the 
mark retired into the body of the medium from 
between her shoes, through the space at the instep, 
up the side of the shoe, down the inside and thence 
to the foot: i.e., it took the shortest line consistent 
with the fact of emerging and returning to the 
medium's foot. For instance, it did not go along 
the floor under the instep, but "hugged" the leather 
all the way. 

(d) On the toe of shoe, on the outside of the cloth, 

several particles and marks of clay sur- 
rounding an empty space. 

(e) On the bow of the laces several particles of 

clay. 
(/) On the inside of the holes for the laces, on the 
tongue, circular marks of clay, and also 
marks on the tongue between the lace cross- 
ings. No clay on the outside of lace holes 
or on the cloth in the vicinity. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 79 

(g) Inside the shoe, over the sole and heel, fine 
clay sticking to the leather, except in posi- 
tions where parts of the medium's foot were 
pressing strongly on the leather. In other 
words, wherever the contact between her 
feet and the leather was not very close, i.e. 
wherever there was the slightest space, how- 
ever minute, the inside of sole and heel was 
covered with fine particles of clay. Where 
the space was greater, i.e. in those parts of 
the shoe where the medium's foot was not 
pressing very tightly, there were flakes of 
clay adhering to the leather. 

Right Stocking 

(h) Clay in flakes adhering to the stocking round 
heel on the outside, but none where the flat 
of the heel rests on shoe. 

(i) Some clay on the stocking at the toes, not very 
thick, but all over the top of toes, i.e. no 
clay marks on the stocking where the under- 
surface of the toes would press, but only on 
the top and front. 

(j) All the rest of the sole of stocking, and up as 
far as the ankle, clean. 

At the heel and toe, the marks of the clay were 
slightly perceptible on the inside of the stocking 
fabric, i.e. particles of the clay had gone through 
the interstices of the fabric. 



80 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Left Shoe 

There was not nearly so much clay deposited as 
on the right shoe. 

(k) On the right-hand side, on the seam between 
the leather sole and the cloth upper, for a 
distance of about 3 in., there was some clay 
heaped up round the seam and evidently 
tending to be drawn into the seam, as was 
also the case on the right shoe. 

In neither case does the clay along the seam 
extend as far as the curve at the toe. 

(Z) Flat of sole and of heel absolutely clean. 

(m) On the cloth on the right-hand side near the 
heel some patches of clay slanting upwards, 
as though proceeding to the stocking in 
the neighbourhood of the ankle above the 
heel. 

(n) The shoe was completely clean inside. 

Left Stocking 

(o) A large mass of clay on the right-hand side 
of the stocking on the ankle above the heel. 

The psychic rod to which the above mark is due 
touched the stocking at the anlde. 

(p) The whipcord which bound the medium's 
ankles together had a lot of clay on it at 
the front. 

Every part of both shoes and stockings was 
photographed, and I hold a complete record of 




Fig. 38. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 81 

the results. As, however, similar but more definite 
effects were obtained when the clay into which the 
psychic structures dipped was mixed with a larger 
proportion of water and was thus made much more 
fluid than in the present test, and as so many 
photographs have to appear in this book, I content 
myself with reproducing in this place fig. 38. 

This shows an enlargement of the bottom of the 
medium's right shoe, at the instep. The striation 
marks on the clay are plainly seen, as though a 
film of matter having a stocking imprint on them 
and covered with clay had rubbed the leather here 
(see (c), p. 76). 

Complete Analysis of the Results of this 
Experiment 

The part of the medium's shoes which rested on 
the floor and which were in contact with it, i.e. 
part of the sole and flat of the heel, had not a 
particle of clay upon them. I examined them 
scrupulously with a magnifying glass, but there 
was no clay on them. Here and there over them 
were fine particles of mud which adhered to them 
from the street. These particles were very light 
and small and had certainly not been disturbed 
during the seance. A very slight rubbing sufficed 
to remove them. It is therefore certain that the 
medium's shoes at their base, i.e. on sole and heel 
had not been in contact with the clay either in the 
dish or on the floor, for the clay was in such a 
semi-fluid state that the least pressure of the shoe 
on it would have undoubtedly left traces. Also 



82 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

the floor all round the medium's shoes was covered 
with patches of clay right up to her shoes. Where 
her feet rested on the floor was practically the only 
complete clean patch of floor between her and the 
clay dish a couple of feet away. And this shows, 
beyond cavil or dispute, that during the whole 
period of time this crucial experiment was in 
operation, say about fifteen minutes, the base of 
her shoes never left the floor, i.e. that her shoes 
remained planted on the floor exactly where I had 
placed them at the beginning. If she had moved 
them even an inch or two in a forward direction, 
even if she had slid them along the floor without 
raising them, there would certainly have been some 
white marks of clay visible on sole or heel; but, 
as I have said, even the light dirt marks from the 
street were undisturbed, and there was absolutely 
not a particle of clay upon them. So that, even 
if the medium's feet had not been bound to her 
chair, as they were, this one fact is sufficient evi- 
dence to show that the bottom of her shoes had not 
for an instant during the experiment been in con- 
tact with the clay. 

A fact which is also significant is that round the 
edge of the sole of the shoe — and more especially 
the right shoe — where it curves upwards a little 
at the periphery from the flat of the sole, there 
were clay marks which extended a little way under 
the sole in an irregular manner for about % in. 
or so from the edge line. That is to say, the 
part of the leather of the sole which was in actual 
contact with the floor was perfectly clean, but 
particles of clay had been drawn into the narrow 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 83 

space round the edge of the sole, which, owing to 
its curvature, was not quite touching the floor 
when the medium's shoes rested flat upon it. In 
other words, this is obvious proof that the medi- 
um's shoes had not moved during the whole time 
of the experiment, for the disposition of the 
narrow band of clay underneath the edge of the 
sole and its irregular outline correspond exactly, 
as is evidenced by actual trial, with the available 
space between under edge of sole and the floor 
when the shoe is placed firmly on the floor in its 
normal position. The psychic structure, covered 
with clay at its outer extremity, in being with- 
drawn into the feet of the medium, had been pulled 
along the floor and had deposited the clay all 
along the bottom of the boot on every available 
space. This clay coming in contact with the edges 
of the medium's shoes on the floor had been 
deposited on the edge of the sole and in the slight 
clear space between edge of sole and floor, but had 
not been able to penetrate further, because the rest 
of the sole was in actual contact with the floor. 
This kind of result is what I mean when I say 
that I prefer to allow physical phenomena to prove 
themselves to any elaborate tying up of the 
medium, though, in the present case, the medium 
was actually firmly tied. 

The Marks on the Tongue of the Right Shoe 

There were four lace holes on each side of the 
shoe, and the two halves were tightly laced to- 
gether during the experiment. The lace holes were 



84 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

therefore not filled by the laces, and there was a 
considerable part of the circular space empty. The 
tongue of the shoe lay immediately behind. On 
the tongue, behind the lace holes, little nearly cir- 
cular marks of clay were found — circular marks 
of fine clay dust deposited on the tongue. 

There were no clay marks or deposits of any 
hind on the two front parts of the cloth covering 
the tongue : that is, the exterior portion of the shoe 
in this neighbourhood was clean, but on the tongue, 
or on the interior of the shoe here, marks had been 
left. 

Now, to anybody who takes the trouble to think, 
this is proof positive of two things : ( 1 ) That the 
medium's shoe in this neighbourhood had not been 
in direct contact with the clay, for, if it had, all 
the outside portion would have been covered, or at 
the minimum some marks would undoubtedly have 
been left on it; and (2) that the marks on the 
tongue had been really deposited by something 
covered with clay being withdrawn into the medi- 
um's foot apparently through the lace holes. In 
no other way then (2) could these marks have 
been produced under the conditions of the seance. 
Even if the medium had had her feet quite free 
and had been given full liberty to make the marks 
as best she could, she could not have produced 
them without much trouble and preparation. For, 
in order to make them artificially, it would have 
been necessary to possess an implement like a nar- 
row cylinder of wood of the exact shape and size 
of the holes, to have covered the end of this cylin- 
der with clay, and then to have introduced it 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 85 

exceedingly neatly into the lace holes, and to have 
pressed it into the tongue behind. Furthermore, 
a part of each hole was occupied by the lace, so 
that the available space was in truth not quite 
circular, its boundary being irregular on the in- 
side. So that the shape of the end of the hypo- 
thetical implement would not be so simple as a 
circle, but would have to present an appearance 
in which one edge is circular and the other irreg- 
ular, owing to the lace being in the way, for the 
lace itself there was quite clean. 

The laces, of course, crossed the two halves of 
the cloth front of the shoe. The consequence was 
that between the two halves, along the dividing 
line, there were places on the tongue not covered 
by the laces, and in these places light powdery 
clay had been deposited. The laces themselves, 
where they crossed the dividing line, were not 
touched by clay, only the spaces on the tongue 
behind. 

The above is clear evidence that some part of 
the psychic structure had withdrawn into the feet 
of the medium through the lace holes and through 
the vacant spaces between the laces, along the 
dividing line of the two halves laced together. 
This structure (say a thin rod) had issued in the 
easiest way it could from the foot of the medium, 
and its path was approximately as follows : — From 
the neighbourhood of the toes of medium, then 
either straight through the soft cloth tongue of 
shoe, or round the edge of the tongue, and then 
through the lace hole to the outside. The rod had 
at the conclusion of the experiment come back via 



86 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

the same route. No other theoiy whatever will 
satisfy the conditions. The rod being materialised 
or solid at its free end was covered with clay there, 
from its contact with the clay in the dish, and 
on its retiral through the lace hole had deposited 
the clay on the first substance with which it came 
into contact, viz. the material of the tongue of 
the shoe. 

Likewise, this drawing in or suction effect is 
palpable from the facts I have previously related, 
where the clay was drawn in and deposited on the 
narrow irregular space of the sole of the shoe, 
which stood a slight distance above the floor when 
the sole as a whole was resting firmly on the floor. 

The clay marks left on the left stocking of the 
medium, where clay patches were deposited round 
a more or less clean oval space (see o), are just 
such as would be produced by a rod of oval cross- 
section, about an inch thick, solid at the end, 
extruding from the ankle of the medium. If we 
suppose the curved surface of this rod, where it 
was solidified, had been manipulating the soft clay 
in the dish, and had therefore a coating of clay 
adhering to it, and that at the conclusion of the 
experiment the rod had been pulled back into the 
ankle of the medium, where its material had been 
re-absorbed, and that at the point of dematerialisa- 
tion of the psychic stuff, just before entering the 
body of the medium, i.e. at the nearest point to the 
medium's skin, on the stocking, the clay had been 
deposited, we will have a close picture of what 
actually occurred. The path of this particular rod 
as it moved inwards to the ankle of the medium is 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 87 

also plain. It evidently did not remain suspended 
in the air as it was pulled inwards, but part of its 
journey was evidently accomplished on the floor, 
for the mark of its passage is very plain up the 
side of the shoe of the medium. That is, the rod 
was pulled into the ankle of the medium from the 
neighbourhood of the floor, slantwise up the cloth 
of the outside of the shoe, and up a portion of the 
stocking fabric. When Mrs Morrison was touched 
during this experiment the mark left on her stock- 
ing at the place where she felt herself touched 
was very similar in size to the oval clear space on 
the stocking of the medium, although the shape 
of the impression is a little different. It is just 
possible that the rod we are considering made both 
marks. It touched Mrs Morrison's stocking with 
its end and left the impression described, and 
afterwards, in its retreat into ankle of medium, 
left the clear oval impression on medium's stocking 
surrounded by the deposited clay adhering to the 
cylindrical portion of the rod. The slight differ- 
ence in the shapes of the two marks may be due to 
the curvature of the stockings on the feet and 
ankles of the two persons concerned. 

I have already described the path of the rod 
which entered the region of the right toe of the 
medium. Its path is perfectly plain from the floor 
between her shoes, along the leather of the instep 
of shoe underneath, where it took the shortest path 
from between the shoes to the outside of her right 
shoe, up the side of the shoe, and thence down the 
inside of shoe to the region of the toe of the 
medium. Along the whole path stocking marks 



88 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

were more or less visible: on the underneath 
portion of the shoe; on the outside and on the 
inside. 

It is a very noticeable fact that practically the 
whole of the inside of the flat of the right shoe was 
covered with fine particles of clay wherever parts of 
the foot of the medium were not pressing tightly 
on the leather. The reader can easily experiment 
for himself and find that if he puts his foot in a 
shoe and sits on a chair and rests the foot on the floor 
the whole of his foot will not be in uniform and 
close contact with the bottom of the shoe. There 
will be places where the contact will be fairly light, 
other places where the contact will be weak, and 
again other places where there is not contact at all. 
And if he makes the experiment he will see some- 
thing of what underlies my statement when I say 
that only on those places where there was no or 
poor contact was the clay deposited. In other 
words, this is corroborative testimony, if such were 
needed, that the medium had not moved her feet 
during the whole experiment. The contact at the 
spots of contact had been uniform all the time, for 
otherwise the clay would not have been reserved 
to those places where the contact was naturally 
bad. Furthermore, if the sole of the stocking had 
touched the clay it would naturally have left traces 
of the clay at the very places where the contact 
was a maximum. But the exact reverse was the 
case. And, in addition, the soles of the stockings 
of both feet was absolutely clean, not a speck of 
clay being on them. Where the clay was not 
deposited in powdery form it was adhering in small 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 89 

flakes to the leather of the sole. The whole result 
is corroborative of what I have already shown with 
regard to this test, namely, that the clay found a 
path wherever there was a space in which it could 
be deposited, and that it was only in such spaces 
that it was deposited. 

The same thing is seen with regard to the flakes 
of clay adhering to the top of the heel of the right 
stocking. This clay was deposited on the stocking 
well above the flat of the heel, in the space between 
cloth of heel of shoe and stocking. Wherever, in 
this neighbourhood, there was vigorous contact 
between the heel and the inside of the shoe, there 
was absence of the clay. In other words, wherever 
there were interstices the clay had been deposited. 
Of course, if the medium's stockinged heel had 
been used per se, the whole of the heel would have 
been covered, and not just the limited portion I 
have mentioned. This would have been unavoid- 
able, as anyone can try for himself. 

Also, with regard to the slight clay marks in the 
regions of the toes of the right stocking of the 
medium, the marks are not on the undersurface of 
the toes, but mostly on the top. On some of the 
small holes I had cut in the fabric of the stocking 
at the toes, particles of clay had evidently gone 
right through, for flakes were adhering to the 
interior edges of these holes. 

The left shoe and stocking were not nearly so 
much affected as the right. It would seem that 
the psychic structures had chiefly extruded from 
various parts of the right foot of the medium, and 
possibly her left leg. 



90 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

The chief results from the above experiments 
are as follows: — 

(1) There is abundant internal evidence that the 

medium did not move (a) either of her shoes 
from the floor where they were originally 
placed; (b) either of her feet from the soles 
of her shoes, during the course of the ex- 
periment. 

(2) The psychic rods issue from various parts of 

the feet and legs of the medium: (a) from 
the region of her toes ; ( b ) from the region 
of her heel; (c) from the flat of the sole 
(this I will prove later) ; (d) from the 
ankle. 

(3) Dem&terialisation of the rod occurs as close to 

the body of the medium as is possible. That 
is, the end — solid — portion of the rod is not 
dematerialised until that portion reaches the 
stocking or skin of the medium on the whole 
rod being withdrawn into the body of the 
medium. Likewise, as I shall show later, 
when the rod issues from the body of the 
medium, materialisation of the free end 
occurs very close to the body of the medium. 
An intangible rod is not first extruded for 
a distance of some feet, and then the end 
solidified. It seems absolutely necessary 
that the solidification of the terminal must 
be effected immediately it issues from the 
medium's body, and that desolidification 
must also occur at that place. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 91 

(4) The rods which are absorbed into various parts 

of the feet of the medium are able to take 
indirect paths. They do not project out- 
wards in absolutely straight lines from any 
one part of the foot. For instance, the rod 
which issued from the region of the right 
toes of the medium moved in a very circuit- 
ous path. It slanted upwards along the in- 
side of shoe, down the outside, underneath 
the shoe, and then outwards into the circle 
space. 

(5) There is evidence that some of the structures 

do not issue entire from the foot of the 
medium, but come out separately the best 
way they can. Thus it seems that several 
parts of one rod have issued through the 
lace holes: at any rate there is strong 
evidence that they have returned to the 
foot of the medium through the lace holes, 
i.e. they have avoided the more solid parts 
of the shoe and have got into her feet the 
easiest way they could. Perhaps such parts 
of a rod reunite as soon as they have got 
free from the environs of the shoe and form 
one composite rod. 

(6) It seems necessary for best effects that all 

rods, from whatever portion of the feet and 
ankles they issue, shall first come into the 
space between the medium's feet. If nec- 
essary they have to take a turn under her 
boots to reach that neighbourhood. 

(7) All the rods come from the medium only. No 

other member of the circle is affected. For 



92 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

there were no clay marks on the feet or legs 
of anybody but the medium, except on the 
stocking of Mrs Morrison and the boot of 
Mr Morrison, where they had felt them- 
selves touched, as already described. 

Marks of Clay on the Table. 

As already mentioned, there were clay marks on 
the front, sides, legs, and undersurface of the 
seance table, which stood in the centre of the circle 
space, and under which on the floor rested the dish 
of semi-liquid clay. 

Foreign Matter found in the Impression Marks 

In addition to the tiny scale-like pieces of black 
substance which I have already mentioned as being 
sometimes (not always) found on the flat impres- 
sions, which matter I have explained was identified 
as having its origin in the lacquer covering the 
inside of the medium's shoe, pieces of wool, hairs, 
and fluff were sometimes found in the concave 
impressions. These small pieces of matter were 
identified as coming (a) from the medium's 
stocking; (b) from the furry lining inside the 
tongue of her shoes; (c) from the laces of her shoes. 
On one occasion I bound the ankles of the medium 
together with black silk bands, and she had on a 
new pair of brown stockings specially provided for 
her. Many black bits of hairs were found in the 
markings, and one long brown one. This showed 
that most of the stuff found in the markings was 
from the edge of the silk binding round the 
medium's ankles — stuff which might be fairly 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 93 

easily detached by the passage of the psychic 
structure through or over it, for the binding was 
cut from an old silk blouse, and there were many 
loose pieces of thread on its edge. The one long 
brown thread, however, that was found was not a 
loose one: the stockings were new, and it could 
only have been detached from the medium's 
stocking by a considerable force. The long brown 
thread was found embedded in the floor of the 
impression, cutting a sharp but wavy line through 
the stocking marks. This thread began and ended 
exactly at opposite sides of the impression. It 
was too long to go straight across, and it was curled 
and twisted round the bottom of the cavity. The 
thread found in this instance would have required 
much force to detach from the stocking, as it was 
several inches long and was part of the woven 
fabric of the stocking. It is obvious that the 
passage of the psychic stuff over the stocking had 
removed it. No more pressing of the stocking 
in the clay would have left it where it was found. 
The structure had actually wrenched it from the 
fabric. 

Pieces of white fluff from the inside of the 
tongue of the medium's shoe were sometimes 
found in the impressions. As I have explained, 
some of the psychic stuff, in issuing from various 
parts of the neighbourhood of the medium's feet, 
traversed this region and undoubtedly picked any- 
thing up it met in its path that was not firmly 
fixed. 



94 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Peculiar Fussling Noises near Mediums 
Ankles and Feet 

Sometimes peculiar fussling noises were heard 
in the neighbourhood of the medium's feet and 
ankles just prior to phenomena. These noises 
occurred in spasms, and were probably due to 
psychic stuff being sent in fluxes down the material 
of the stocking. Many of these noises suggested 
the stocking being violently rubbed with something. 
Sometimes also during the preparatory work of the 
seance flapping noises were heard on the floor in 
conjunction with rubbing noises on the stockings. 
This would suggest that the psychic stuff was 
being removed from the medium's body in fluxes 
(see the weight experiments in connection with 
raps and decrease in weight of the medium, 
P.P. P.). The noise is caused by the friction 
of the psychic particles on the fabric of the 
stocking. The flapping noises heard just after the 
friction noises were probably due to the condensed 
psychic stuff striking the floor in the neighbourhood 
of the medium's feet. 

It will perhaps be well to summarise , now the 
more important of the results obtained, so that the 
reader may have clearly before him the facts as 
they were elucidated at this stage of the research. 

(1) The working end of the ps} r chic structure has 
different shapes and sizes: it can be felt by 
the sense of touch to increase or decrease 
in size at the will of the operators; it can 
change from a very hard state to a very 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 95 

soft one in a short time; it is tangible and 
therefore material. 

(2) The working end of the psychic structure is 

often covered with marks which are very 
similar to the fabric of the medium's 
stockings. In many cases of impressions 
on the clay where the stocking marks are 
not at once apparent, they can be made 
out underlying the impressions, i.e. they 
are usually present, but more or less covered 
over and modified. 

(3) At the conclusion of the seances various marks 

are left by the clay on the medium's stock- 
ings and shoes. 

(4) The medium, in spite of having her feet tied 

up or otherwise restrained, manages to get 
them free, and by placing them in the clay 
makes the marks described. 

This last is ruled out by the facts that (a) many 
of the marks on the clay are of such shape and 
size that they cannot be made by the human foot ; 

(b) the imprint of the stocking fabric, while bear- 
ing superficially a very close appearance to the 
imprint made by the actual stocking, has one im- 
portant point of difference (already explained) ; 

(c) the medium's feet and legs can be felt in posi- 
tion while the raps and other phenomena are in 
operation; (d) when levitation or other phenomena 
are in operation the experimenter can cross the 
space between medium's feet and legs and the 
table with his hand, and he feels no solid body 
whatever: all he does feel is a flow of material par- 



96 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

tides from the medium's ankles and legs, these 
particles being cold and disagreeable to the sense 
of touch. 



Further Experiment on Clay Marks found 
on the Medium's Stockings and Shoes 
and on the floor of the seance room. 
(The medium's feet were free). 

I placed a tin vessel containing very soft clay on 
the floor within the circle. The medium wore a 
pair of stockings of a different design on each leg. 
I asked the operators to place the end of a psychic 
rod in the clay, draw it over the floor, over the 
medium's boots and into the medium's legs, so that 
a visible trail would be left. They took about ten 
minutes to do this, and informed me by raps when 
the operation was finished. 

The impression shown in fig. 39 was thus 
obtained. This impression consists of two marks, 
the large central one, and a much smaller one near 
the edge of the dish. It should be noted that as 
this vessel of clay was the only one available, all 
the marks found on the floor and on the, stockings 
and shoes of the medium must have been derived 
from the clay adhering to the end of the structures 
which made them, i.e. all the marks were due to 
two rod ends, at the most, being stuck each once 
into the dish. The marks were both lined with 
stocking print. The large one was about 1 in. 
deep at its deepest part, and about 2% in. long. 
The small one was about 2 in. long and very 
shallow. 




Fig. 39. 





fe 





fe 



'..". ' • ' \ '•"-. . ■'. 



J 




Fig. 42. 




-V 



Fig. 45. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 97 

Both toes of the medium's shoes and both heels 
were touched in places by the clay (the photo- 
graphs are, however, omitted in order to save 
space for more typical results to follow). 

It appears as though something covered with 
clay had been drawn in between the toes and had 
then been pulled upwards, just touching the left 
shoe and advancing over the laces of the right one. 
The pulling and drawing actions are very per- 
ceptible when the actual shoes are inspected. It 
would seem that everything projecting, such as 
laces and rounded parts of the shoes, was caught 
by the advancing clay-covered substance, and 
accordingly had clay deposited on it. 

The soles of both shoes were perfectly clear of 
clay. 

The Right Stocking 

Figs. 40, 41 and 42 show the clay marks on the 
right stocking. 

It will be noticed on fig. 40 that there is a slant- 
ing mark just above the position where the shoe 
would come to, and this is evidently a prolonga- 
tion of the mark which went up the front of the 
right shoe and over the laces. On the heel there 
is a large mark, a small mark under the toe, and 
a large diffused marking on the sole. 

The left stocking shows a remarkable series of 
marks. Some of these are seen in figs. 43 and 44. 
As will be observed in fig. 43, the marks extend 
from halfway up the leg, right down to the toe, 
and after that they proceed under the sole for a 
distance of more than half the length of the foot. 



98 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Careful examination of this stocking shows: — 

(1) That the clay marks on the leg above the 

ankle (shown more clearly on fig. 44) are 
due to something covered with clay touch- 
ing or being pulled over the stocking and 
catching on the little raised lurks of the 
stocking. On these lurks the clay has been 
thickly deposited, while on the flatter por- 
tions of the stocking there has only been 
a small amount of deposit, although a care- 
ful inspection shows that the whole front of 
the stocking has been more or less rubbed. 

(2) That the peculiar zig-zag marks on the top of 

the foot of the stocking (figs. 43 and 44) 
were caused in this wise: — The thin clay- 
covered film of psychic matter endeavours 
to move down between the stocking and 
the inside of the shoe, and as the fit is fairly 
tight, it drags the stocking fabric along with 
it, forming a crease, the underside of which 
is not in contact with the film and hence 
with the clay. A little further on a new 
crease is formed, and so on. 

(3) That the heavy clay marks at the toes are 

between the toes and not on the toes, which 
shows that the clay-covered film had taken, 
as far as possible, the path of least resist- 
ance. In other words, wherever there was 
a loose space between the stocking and the 
shoe, the film had taken that path. 

Fig. 45 shows the sole of the stocking. This 
marking is evidently a continuation of the mark- 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 99 

ings shown on figs. 43 and 44. When the film 
had got as far as the toes, most of the clay cover- 
ing it had been removed by contact, and conse- 
quently there was little left to mark the sole of the 
foot. In fact, only where the contact was very 
tight would the remnants of clay on the film be 
deposited. Accordingly, while it is evident that the 
whole front of the sole of the stocking to nearly the 
heel has been rubbed by the film, yet the clay has 
only been left on the central part where the contact 
between stocking and shoe was fairly tight. A 
close inspection of the toe part of the sole will show 
that the fluff of the wool fabric has been completely 
sheared off for a considerable distance down and 
over practically the whole width of the sole. In 
several places in fig. 45, the zig-zag marking is 
again perceptible, where the pulling action of the 
film on the stocking fabric had resulted in a crease. 
Although the marking does not visibly extend right 
to the heel, yet there can be little doubt that it 
does so extend, but that by this time no clay 
remains on the film and its path is not visible. 

Further Experiment on Clay Marks on 
Medium's Stockings and other Tests to 
learn something of the nature of the 
Psychic Rod 

Two vessels containing very soft clay were 
placed on the floor within the circle, and the opera- 
tors were asked to place one of their rods in the 
clay, and then to lay the rod upon a flat piece of 
wood, in order that data might be obtained of the 
shape of the end of the rod. As well as the vessels 



100 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

containing the clay, a piece of smoked glass, a 
photographic plate, and several clean wooden 
boards were placed within the circle space, which 
was covered with clean oilcloth. 

The operators, without being asked, finished with 
the photographic plate and the smoked glass first, 
and told me to remove them from the circle, i.e. 
they did not dip a rod into the clay, and then lay 
it on the plate or glass, but of their own volition 
finished first with the articles not requiring clay. 

In this experiment the medium had her feet free. 

At a corner of the smoked glass (an old half- 
plate negative covered with turpentine soot) there 
were the impressions of the ends of two small rods 
( I had asked the operators to make these particular 
rods small.) One was pointed, and the other a 
flat-ended impression. Their outline is determined 
by the fact that where the rods had lain on the 
glass, the soot had been removed. 

The long sides of the square-ended impression 
were almost exactly parallel, and its end was 
exactly at right angles to the sides. (The clay 
impression of a rod of this shape was obtained a 
year ago on the ledge of the seance table.) The 
operators then made a large, nearly oval impression 
in one of the vessels of clay. This mark was lined 
with stocking imprint, and on a small portion of it, 
near one end, there was a space about the size of a 
shilling, which was covered with soot. From this it 
would appear that a portion of the covering of the 
rod used for this large impression had been used to 
make one of the small marks on the smoked glass, 
for no soot could have been obtained elsewhere. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 101 

The operators next endeavoured to make a mark 
on a piece of flat board with the end of the rod 
which had made the large stocking-lined impression 
mentioned above. This mark, however, was very 
faint. 

The operators then made a large impression in 
the second tin of clay, and this impression was also 
lined with the stocking imprint. With the end of 
this impressing rod various marks were then made 
on the floor, and on the flat board. 

At the edge of a piece of clean board there was 
a fine, thickly clay-covered mark made by what 
appears to have been one shape of the end of the 
rod. It was a blunt, taper-ended impression. 

The medium wore a pair of special brown stock- 
ings, and she also had on soft rubber slippers. 
The front of both slippers, at the conclusion of 
the seance, were found covered with clay. 

On the floor various marks were left. There 
were several more or less circular ones, which, 
judging by the size, were evidently made by the 
end of the rod which made the impression on the clay 
in the second tin. 

On this occasion my wife formed one of the 
circle, and she was sitting nearly opposite the 
medium, some 6 ft. distant from her. As she told 
me afterwards, she mentally asked that her dress 
should be touched by one of the rapping rods. 
Several clay marks were found on her skirt, and 
it was rather suggestive that she was the only per- 
son touched. 



102 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Further Experiment to obtain Data concern- 
ing the Clay on Medium's Stockings, etc. 

In order to make quite sure that the medium 
was so fixed that she could not use her feet, the 
box arrangement shown in fig. 46 was employed. 
This box had a hinged leaf open at the front. The 
medium placed her feet in it, the wooden bar was 
placed in position across her ankles and was locked 
on the outside, and then the piece of wood shown 
on the top of the box was tightly fitted round the 
tops of her ankles and was then screwed into the 
top of the box. The consequence was, that her 
feet were absolutely locked in position, and could 
neither be moved up or down, nor to and fro. In 
addition, every now and then throughout the test 
I felt to see if her feet were in position, and I always 
found that this was the case. 

The operators were asked to bring out a rod 
through the front of the box, and to levitate the 
table with it. 

After some time the operators were successful, 
and the table was fairly easily levitated. I entered 
the circle, felt and saw the levitated table, and put 
my hand below the levitated surface, but, as usual, 
encountered nothing. The light was good (a red 
electric light in position right above the circle space 
was employed) , and I could plainly see the test box 
during the whole time of the phenomena. But 
there was no visible structure. A tin dish filled 
with the clay and water mixed with methylene 
blue was placed on the floor within the circle about 
3 ft. from the test box. This clay was really noth- 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 103 

ing but water thickened slightly with clay, and was 
the most fluid substance I have employed in these 
tests. The methylene blue was to render the traces 
of the clay more visible than they otherwise would 
have been, on the floor, stockings of medium, etc. 
The operators were asked to dip the end of a struc- 
ture in the clay and leave marks on the floor and on 
the test box, etc. They were not long in doing 
this, for the structure could be heard dipping into 
the watery clay. The sound was exactly similar to 
the noise made by a cat in lapping up milk. When 
more clay was required, the structure returned and 
dipped into the clay again, doing this three or four 
times. 

Marks on the Hinged Leaf of the Test-box 
and on the bottom of the test-box. 
(All these marks were coloured a vivid blue, 
but have photographed white. ) 

On the hinged leaf on the front of the test-box 
there are two clear marks more or less indetermi- 
nate in outline, and evidently caused by the psychic 
structure slipping over the wood. (The photo- 
graph, fig. 46, does not show them well owing to 
the wood of the hinged leaf being of a light colour. ) 

Marks on the Bottom of the Test-box. 

There is a large mark on the bottom of the test- 
box (seen in fig. 46). It is more or less oval in 
outline. This mark seems a continuation of the 
large mark on the hinged leaf. On the ledge be- 
tween the hinged leaf and the bottom of the box the 



104 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

clay has been deposited (see fig. 46) as though 
it had been scraped off as the structure advanced 
over the sharp edge. There is a considerable 
amount of clay on the locking rod (fig. 46) for a 
distance of about 4 in. over the left boot of the 
medium. 

There was a blot of clay on the top of the box 
at the left-hand front corner, and also blots of clay 
on the inside right wall. 

At the back of the box there were some marks, 
including a very peculiar straight one. It was 
perfectly straight, made an angle of about 35° to 
the horizontal top edge of the box, and was about 
3 in. long and % in. wide. 

Medium's Shoes and Stockings 

Fig. 47 shows the front of the medium's shoes, 
from which it will be seen that there is a large clay 
mark extending over the toes and up between the 
shoes. There was no clay on any other portion of 
the shoes. 

The Medium's Stockings 

The whole sole from in front of the toe to near 
the heel of one stocking (fig. 48) was saturated 
with blue, watery clay. There were even traces of 
it extending to over the heel. The wool of the 
sole has evidently been violently rubbed, because 
little threads have been torn out and rolled over, 
as it were. The wool of the darned portions has 
also been greatly frayed. 

Fig. 49 shows the other stocking. There is 
practically no clay on the sole, but much clay over 




Fig. 46. 



■/ V'w' 





Fig. 47. 




Fig. 48. 




Fig. 49. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 105 

and round the toe and up the front. There was 
also. a little in the vicinity of the heel. 

Loose pieces of the brown wool used in the darns 
were found sticking in the stocking at various 
places. 

Analysis of Results 

(1) The marks made on the soft clay are often 

covered with the imprint of the stocking 
when the medium wears stockings. 

(2) The imprint on some of these marks is modified 

by having the pattern twisted, thickened, 
or partly covered over, but nevertheless in 
many cases the stocking fabric is visible. 

(3) The marks made on the clay resemble (a) toe 

marks, (b) heel marks, (c) sole marks, and 
(d) marks which do not resemble any por- 
tion of a foot. 

( 4 ) Although the marks often resemble heel marks, 

etc., these marks are often too small and too 
geometrically exact to have been made by the 
actual stockinged heel of the medium. Ex- 
periment shows that it is quite impossible 
for the medium to duplicate many of the 
actual " heel " marks, etc. 

(5) The imprint of the stocking marks found in 

impressions has one important point of dif- 
ference from the marks that are made by an 
actual stockinged foot impressing the clay. 

(6) Clay is always deposited on the medium's shoes 

— usually (a) between the toes and up over 
the front, and (b) at the back of the two 
heels. 



106 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

(7) Clay is always deposited on the medium's 

stockings ; the sole of one or both feet is often 
covered; the front of the foot from ankle 
to toes is sometimes covered ; the space round 
the heel is often covered. 

(8) The clay bands on medium's shoes and stock- 

ings in all cases suggest a strong drawing 
action, as though a film of thin material 
covered with clay were drawn up the shoe 
and then down between the shoes and the 
stockings to various parts of the medium's 
feet. 

(9) On considering how such a film as that men- 

tioned in (8) would act, it is necessary to 
consider the variation of contact between 
shoes and stockings. Generally speaking, 
unless the shoes are tightly laced, there is 
ample space for a thin film to get down to 
the underside of the foot of the medium 
either at the side of the shoe or via the front 
behind the tongue. The chief points of con- 
tact of the stockinged foot with the leather 
of the shoes are at the toes, at the front of 
the sole, and at the heel. All the remainder 
of the foot is in loose contact or not in con- 
tact at all. 

We find (a) that if the stocking is pressing fairly 
tightly on the leather of the shoe, the film as it pulls 
its way past leaves traces of the clay; (b) that 
where there is no contact between stocking and 
leather, the film does not touch the stocking at all, 
as in the middle part of the sole : that when the film 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 107 

is very heavily charged with wet clay, only a few 
portions of the stocking are untouched by it, these 
portions being where there is quite a comparatively 
large space between stocking and leather : that every 
projecting piece of the stocking is heavily marked: 
and that where there is actual contact between stock- 
ing and shoe the rubbing action is apparent; (c) 
that surrounding the place where there is strong 
contact between stocking and shoe, the clay is 
usually fairly heavily deposited. 

(10) An examination of much data suggests that 
the whole of the base of the medium's foot, 
together with a portion of the heel region 
and the front of the foot about half 
way up to the ankle, is involved in the 
psychic action. The clay marks may not al- 
ways cover all this space, but this is due to 
the causes already enumerated — (a) the clay 
on the film becomes used up as it advances ; 
( b ) the film often does not touch a portion of 
the stocking where there is not actual con- 
tact between stocking and leather. 



Effect of Encasing the Medium's Feet in 
High-legged Boots, and other Tests of a 
like nature 

Experiment A. 

The medium's feet were laced into tightly fitting 
boots reaching half way up to her knees. Her feet 
were then placed on the test-box (fig. 46) and the 



108 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

oval part fixed round her ankles and screwed down. 
Her feet were so tightly wedged as to be absolutely 
immovable. Nevertheless, on several occasions, 
hard, soft, and various intermediate qualities of raps 
were given on the floor well behind the box. 

Unknown to anyone present I had covered the 
undersurface of the table with soot from a turpen- 
tine flame. In spite of the control applied to the 
medium the operators made a couple of good-sized 
marks on the soot (the table was standing in the 
middle of the circle). 

Each of these marks is seen on close inspection to 
be made up of series of fine lines, and examination 
with the magnifying glass shows the well-known 
stocking fabric effect. Thus, notwithstanding that 
the medium's feet were tightly laced into high- 
legged boots and her feet wedged into the test-box, 
the usual stocking effect was obtained on the psychic 
mark made on the undersurface of the table. 

Experiment B. 

The medium wore a very high pair of boots which 
were laced tightly, and her feet were locked up in 
the test-box as in Experiment A. The oval piece 
on the top of the box was on this occasion moved 
forward a little and an end piece of wood was 
screwed to the rear of it, so that the size of the holes 
was exactly the same as in the previous test. It was 
absolutely impossible for the medium to get a foot 
out of the box, but the new arrangement prevented 
her feet being wedged together and allowed them to 
move a little inside the box. 

For about an hour there were periodical conimo- 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 109 

tions within and around the box, and it was evident 
that the operators were trying hard to overcome the 
severe conditions. 

In the end practically all the usual phenomena 
were produced, with the exception that their magni- 
tude was less than when the medium's feet were 
free. The medium was under considerable stress, as 
was evident to me, who was beside her all the time. 
Marks were made on the soot on the undersurface 
of the table (none of the sitters knew the soot was 
there). Mr Morrison and I both heard the struc- 
ture lapping itself round a near leg of the table. 

Mrs Morrison said that she felt a hook-like struc- 
ture brush round her knee (her knee was near a 
leg of the table, and she felt the hook twist itself 
round the leg: she said it appeared to be about 
l^-in. diameter and felt quite rough). 

Experiment C. 

The medium wore a special pair of grey stock- 
ings which I had provided, her feet were laced into 
high boots which fitted like a glove, and her feet 
were then locked in the test-box as in Experiments 
A and B. 

At the conclusion of the seance I examined the 
stockings. Although no clay was used at this sit- 
ting, a series of marks was found on one of the 
stockings. Patches of a darker colour than the 
ordinary grey of the stocking were visible here and 
there: (1) on the sole, (2) under the toes, and 
(3) up the centre of the front, especially at the 
curve of the ankles. These marks were not due to 
wetness or dirt, but to the surface of the fabric 



110 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

being scraped or burred at these places. At the 
curve of the ankle the fabric was distended and 
scraped and little holes were left as though some- 
thing had forced its way between the stocking and 
the leather and had damaged and permanently dis- 
tended the fabric. In several places where the fit 
was very tight, the interstices between the stocking 
threads had been permanently enlarged, as though 
a glutinous fluid had entered them as it pushed its 
way out of the boot. 

On the bottom of the sole of the stocking the 
maker's name had been fixed to the wool in gilt 
lettering. After the seance small particles of this 
gilt were found on the scraped portions of the 
stocking right up to the place corresponding to 
near the top of the boot, suggesting that the 
psychic matter. in its passage from the sole of the 
foot, over the toes, and up the front of the boot had 
detached these particles, which had then been de- 
posited here and there on the stocking fabric, where 
the fit between stocking and boot was close. 

Experiment D. 

The medium wore a special pair of bluestockings 
I had provided, and her feet were tightly laced up in 
high boots. On this occasion, in order to vary the 
tests, her feet were not placed in the test-box. 

Raps were given of all varieties; the "bouncing 
ball" was very perfect. The quality of the phe- 
nomena was as usual, but the magnitude somewhat 
less than when her feet were encased in shoes. 

I placed two tins of soft clay on the floor within 
the circle space and asked the operators to make 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 111 

marks on the clay. I wished to see the character 
of these marks, i.e. if they were stocking-lined and 
if any clay would be deposited on the stocking of 
the medium well inside the boots, despite the fact 
that she had on long-legged boots which were 
tightly laced. 

The operators duly made an impression on the 
clay in each tin. 

On both impressions, by the aid of a magnifying 
glass, the stocking marks, distorted, irregular, and 
flattened, could be plainly made out, showing con- 
clusively that the film of psychic matter, in travers- 
ing the tight places between boot and stocking on 
its way to the open air, had had the pattern of the 
stocking flattened. This is exactly what one would 
expect. One sees, therefore, that in order to obtain 
good stocking marks on the clay there must be 
little rubbing of the psychic film as it emerges from 
the foot of the medium, and hence that the best 
marks are obtained when the medium's feet are 
encased in loose shoes or are not encased at all. 

The Effects on the Medium's Stockings 

At the conclusion of the seance, the medium's 
tightly-laced long-legged boots were unlaced, when 
it was found that both stockings for a considerable 
distance down the front, inside the boot, were 
marked with clay. One stocking, over the curve 
of the ankle and nearly to the toe, was impregnated 
with fine particles of wet clay. The other stocking 
had not so much clay on it, but was quite wet over 
the curve of the ankle. Small clay particles were 
even found on the inside of the stockings at the toes. 



112 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

The water on the stockings was evidently due to 
wet clay-covered particles of psychic matter being 
drawn in between boots and stockings right down 
the front of the foot: the very close contact had 
scraped off most of the clay or had pulverised it into 
very fine powder, leaving the moisture on the stock- 
ings. In addition, the fabric of one stocking was 
badly ruffled and distended as though it had been 
severely mauled by the transit of the psychic matter 
through the extremely narrow passage between 
boot and stocking. The psychic path in the case of 
each stocking seemed to be from the region of the 
sole, over the toes, and up the front of the foot until 
the top of the boot was reached. Under the toes of 
one stocking there were decided discoloured marks 
where the wool fabric had been sheared. Most of 
the moisture and clay particles were left at the 
curve of the ankles, where contact between boot and 
stocking was most close, and accordingly where the 
psychic film must be dragged in with consider- 
able force. At the ankle bends more particles of 
clay were found on the inside of the stocking than 
on the outside, indicating that the pressure had been 
so great there that the clay had been forced through 
the interstices of the stocking. 

On the sole of both stockings the wool fabric had 
been actually ripped and torn, and in some places 
strands of wool had been pulled out. There were 
clay marks on the boots right up to the top, exactly 
as in the case where shoes were worn. 

Needless to say, it was quite impossible for the 
medium to get her feet out of the boots. Her hands 
were held and were visible all the time, and the 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 113 

boots were tied and laced at the end of the seance 
exactly as they were at the beginning. 

On the sole of one of the stockings I had care- 
fully rubbed some brown pastel chalk. At the 
conclusion of the seance small particles of this chalk 
were found embedded in the fabric of the stocking 
along the path taken by the psychic stuff, i.e. over 
and above the toes and up the front of the stocking. 
This test was made on the assumption that, if the 
incoming clay-covered psychic stuff deposited the 
clay along its path, the outgoing stuff would also 
drag particles of a foreign matter along with it if 
placed in its track. 

Experiment E. 

The medium sat in long-legged boots, with the 
laces doubly knotted at the top. Her feet were 
placed on an electrical test apparatus. If she raised 
either foot a bell would ring. She wore a pair of 
new silk stockings. On the sole of one stocking, 
near the toe, I carefully rubbed yellow crayon, and 
on the sole of the other green crayon, in order to 
see if there would be any disturbance of this at the 
end of the seance. 

Result — On one stocking especially the path of 
the outgoing psychic stuff is plainly seen. The 
coloured crayon particles were pulled right over the 
toe, deposited there, and up the front of the 
stocking, over the curve of the ankle to the top of 
the boot, and even some way above the boot. Not 
a few, but numerous, particles were left bedded in 
the stocking fabric; also, in this case, backwards 
along the sole, up and over the heel, and up the 



114 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

back of the stocking to the top of the boot there 
were many particles, indicating a path both along 
sole, over toe, and up the front of the stocking, and 
also a path along sole, under and up over heel, and 
thence out of the boot. 

The other stocking was not so plainly marked, 
but there was still a well-defined track of coloured 
particles under and over the toes, up the front of 
the stocking, and out. There were no particles on 
the heel of this stocking. 

Both stockings had their fabric severely stressed 
and extended along the path of the psychic stuff. 

Experiment F. 

The medium sat in long-legged boots, with the 
test electrical apparatus. She had on a pair of 
new brown stockings. On the inside sole of each 
shoe I had carefully rubbed a little oil paint, red 
on the left shoe and blue on the right. This paint 
did not extend as far as the toe, and the medium 
did not know it was there when she put on the shoes. 

Result. — At the conclusion of the seance it was 
found that the red paint from the sole of the left 
shoe had been drawn up the inside of the front of the 
shoe and was adhering in small patches to the edge 
of the tongue at the top. Also it had been drawn 
up over the top of toe of stocking and was adhering 
there. Ordinary manipulation of the foot could not 
have caused the paint to be deposited in the spots in 
which it was actually found to be deposited. 

The blue paint on the other shoe had not been 
affected. 

A few small particles of the red paint were found 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 115 

on an object placed under the table, an object which 
was psychically touched during this seance. 

Experiments A to F clinch the question as to the 
place and manner of ejection and injection of 
the psychic stuff or plasma. Its place of origin is 
undoubtedly somewhere about the medium's foot. 
The plasma carries with it as it proceeds outwards 
particles of matter placed in its path and leaves 
many of these particles bedded in the stocking 
fabric along its path. Likewise, when the plasma 
returns to the foot of the medium it deposits along 
its path where there is friction any foreign matter 
adhering to it, such as water or clay. Thus both 
the outward and inward paths of the plasma can be 
traced. 

So often did I carry out such tests as are detailed 
in Experiments A to F, and so uniform were the 
results, that the matter was placed beyond all dis- 
pute. The test by repetition became so simple and 
certain that results could be obtained at any sitting. 
Experiments showing the path of the plasma always 
succeeded, because no phenomena were possible 
unless the plasma was liberated from the medium, 
and phenomena of one sort or another occurred at 
every sitting. I intended to say nothing in this 
place about the quality of the matter which can 
force its way up the foot and leg of the medium 
between her stocking and a tightly laced long- 
legged boot, and which can likewise force its way 
back along the same path, leaving a well-defined 
trace of moisture and pulverised clay in its track 
right to the toe of the stocking. I wish only to 
point out to the reader that the experiments de- 



116 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

tailed above show that this is actually the case, and 
that one of the most troublesome problems in the 
whole research is thus solved satisfactorily. More- 
over, experiments such as I have described and 
others of a similar nature can be repeated with this 
medium at any time. 

Evolution of the Plasma at the Commence- 
ment of the Seance, and the Phenomena 
connected therewith 

Many persons interested in psychic matters have 
written to me proposing various test arrangements 
for the medium's feet. Most of these corre- 
spondents have assumed — I do not understand 
for what reason — that the evolution of the plasma 
is a quiet and tranquil process causing no disturb- 
ance to the medium, and being imperceptible to 
everybody concerned in the circle. These armchair 
critics imagine, for some unexplained reason, that 
the great and powerful structures which produce 
the phenomena at the Goligher circle appear 
magically from nowhere, and that their advent is 
unheralded by anything in the nature of labour. 
But experiment shows that nothing could be wider 
of the mark. As I have already explained in my 
earlier books, the muscles of the medium's feet and 
ankles are, during the occurrence of phenomena, in 
a state of much stress: they seem to be squirming. 
There is no bodily movement of the foot, but there 
is a whirlpool of internal muscular movement 
round foot and ankle and lower part of the calf. 

Jf the reader thinks for a moment, he will see 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 117 

that the evolution of the plasma in the way I have 
described must be accompanied by much friction 
between stocking and leather of shoe or boot. As 
a matter of fact, at nearly all seances the noise 
accompanying the birth pangs of the plasma is dis- 
tinctly audible. Even when the medium sits with- 
out shoes in her stocking soles, the rubbing of the 
plasma along the stocking fabric is distinctly heard. 
With thin silk stockings this sound is accentuated; 
the friction of plasma on the threads as it disengages 
itself is unmistakable. If the medium's feet are 
encased in shoes the preliminary noise is usually 
greater, as the plasma finds a path for itself from 
the sole of the foot to the open air ; while if her legs 
are laced up in tight boots the preliminary noises 
may be quite prolonged, as is easily understandable. 
Nothing can be wider of the mark than to suppose 
that this initial process at the commencement of 
every seance — the bringing away of the plasma — is 
a silent, unforceful operation, analogous, say, to 
steam rising from the surface of boiling water. It 
is, on the contrary, as a little consideration will 
show, of necessity a most energetic process, and 
great forces are involved. I am now going to de- 
scribe a series of experiments which will make the 
matter clearer and help to bring home the facts as 
they are really represented in nature, and not as 
they might be supposed from a priori considerations. 
I often employed an electrical apparatus to make 
sure that the medium did not lift her feet. It con- 
sists essentially of two long boards or foot-rests 
hinged at their back ends to an underboard, and 
separated by a dividing piece of wood more than 



118 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

sufficiently high to prevent the medium placing one 
foot across both rests. Each of these foot-rests is 
separately connected to an electric bell circuit. 
There is a spring between the underboard and each 
foot-rest sufficiently strong to keep the electrical 
contacts together, so that if there is no weight upon 
the rest the bell rings. When the medium's feet 
are upon the rests the contacts are opened and the 
bell does not ring. But if either foot is lifted for 
an instant the bell rings. The springs under the 
rests can be adjusted for various degrees of pres- 
sure. The apparatus is so constructed that no 
amount of juggling with the feet will allow the 
latter to be raised from the rests without the bell 
vigorously ringing. The apparatus was tested at 
the beginning and end of each seance, and often 
during the course of the seance. 

The experiments in which the medium's feet 
were totally enclosed in a box were quite satisfactory 
and conclusive, but it was thought that with the 
present arrangement there would be more room for 
reaction upon her feet and legs, and more freedom 
from cramping of the muscles, which are in a state 
of intense motion, and hence greater resulting mag- 
nitude of phenomena. 

Experiment G. 

Medium on electrical apparatus. Medium's chair 
screwed to floor. There were great creaking noises 
in the neighbourhood of the medium's feet for a 
long time after the seance opened. These fluxes of 
noise came in spasms. No ringing of the bell. 
These fluxes of noises, I wish to emphasise, were 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 119 

intermittent, as though the operators made a great 
effort for a minute or two, and had then to rest for 
several minutes. After a long time there were 
faint raps on the foot-rests, and later fairly good 
raps of all kinds well out on the oilcloth of the 
floor, the bell not ringing during the phenomena. 
Many peculiar flopping noises were heard. The 
table, placed in the centre of circle, did not move. 

Note. — I had long established the fact that when 
any new conditions were presented to the operators, 
the latter required time to overcome them. I have 
many times watched them experimenting. 

Experiment H. 

The electrical apparatus was altered a little. 
Upright pieces of wood were screwed to the out- 
sides of the foot-rests, so as to prevent the medium 
putting the toe of her shoe over the side, while at 
the same time keeping the heel on the apparatus. 
These new boards were much too far apart to allow 
the medium's shoe to be placed over both simultane- 
ously. The apparatus was not designed strictly 
against the production of spurious raps, but against 
spurious movements and levitations of the table, and 
of action generally well beyond the confines of the 
test apparatus. 

The shoes worn by the medium at all these ex- 
periments (the seances were all held in my own 
residence) were kept in my house, and the medium 
put them on when she arrived, together with special 
stockings I provided. 

The medium's chair was screwed to floor. The 
bell did not once ring during the whole seance. 



120 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

After ten minutes or so there was considerable 
creaking of the boards of the electrical apparatus. 
The noises came in spasms, with considerable in- 
tervals between, as though the operators were 
resting. The dividing board between the rests 
seemed to be the chief difficulty to the operators. 
It would seem to get in the way of the material- 
ising stuff as it was drawn from the medium's feet. 
On the top of this dividing piece of wood, for a 
length of about 6 in., there was found at the con- 
clusion of the seance faint red paint marks, and 
similar markings were also found on various sharp 
edges of the apparatus. (I had painted a little red 
oil paint on the inside of the sole of one of medium's 
shoes, and the markings were due to the plasma 
detaching portions of this in its path upwards and 
outwards from the medium's foot. It was notice- 
able in this and other similar tests that the sharp 
edges of the apparatus in the region of the 
medium's feet were often abraded, suggesting that 
a film of matter was pulled energetically outwards 
from the medium's feet, and that this film was 
dragged over the edges and therefore abraded 
them. ) 

A small letter balance was placed on the floor 
with its nearest edge about 14 in. from the end of 
the electrical apparatus — much beyond the distance 
the foot of the medium could be pushed over the 
front of the test boards, and at the same time 
keep contact with them with the heel. The idea 
was that when the operators had overcome the 
initial difficulties and had got the structure " out," 
they would push the pan of the balance up and 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 121 

down and the noise would let me know they were 
ready for experimenting. After the preliminary 
spasmodic noises round the medium's feet — due to 
the disengaging of the structure from her feet — 
were over, there ensued a period of silence lasting 
a minute or two, and then the pan of the bal- 
ance was pushed up and down smartly. It is note- 
worthy that after the conclusion of the initial 
noises — due, as I say to the disengaging of plasma 
and to the building up of the psychic structures — 
there always followed a period of a few moments 
of quietness before phenomena commenced, to be 
compared, perhaps, to the noises accompanying the 
building of some piece of mechanism, such as an 
engine, and the calm following the completion 
of its erection before it is put to its destined use. 
The undersurface of the table had been covered 
with soot from the turpentine-filled lamp. 

After a time the table began to move about and 
then levitated splendidly, keeping in the air for 
about a minute. It moved up and down in the 
air to a hymn sung by the members of the circle. 
During this time I examined the medium. I 
found she was sitting quite still, as usual, with her 
hands held, and the bell was not ringing. 

During the levitation of the table, soot must 
have adhered to the end of the psychic structure 
causing the levitation. I therefore looked for 
traces of this soot on the medium's stocking, and 
found it, as I expected, thickly deposited over, 
round, and under the toe part of one stocking. A 
peculiar and significant thing about this deposit 



122 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

was a series of inclined soot marks on the upper 
part of the stocking above the toes. 

These inclined marks were evidently due to the 
soot returning to the neighbourhood of the toes, 
and going in between the toes, as far as possible, 
i.e. where there was space, and where the medium's 
toes were not pressing hard upon the leather of the 
shoe. The inclination of the marks, about 30°, 
was evidently due to an inclined pull inwards as 
the plasma returned to the foot, and there is little 
doubt that the high dividing board between the 
medium's feet was the cause of this. That is to 
say, this board was in the way of the structure as 
it returned to the medium, and its dematerialisa- 
tion was hindered thereby. This board was always 
under much stress at the commencement of the 
seances, as the creaking noises amply testified. Its 
presence hindered the operations in the building 
up of the structures. During this seance there was 
an attempt made to write rough letters on the soot 
on the undersurface of the table, for several capi- 
tal letters were afterwards plainly discernible. 

I had also sooted the undersurface of the foot- 
rests. Small psychic marks were made on them 
in a position where it was impossible even to insert 
a finger. The medium did not know the soot was 
there. These small marks had the usual stocking 
configuration upon them. 

The electrical apparatus was in perfect order at 
the conclusion of the seance. 



AT THE GOLIGHER, CIRCLE 123 

Experiment I. 

Medium on electrical apparatus and her chair 
screwed to floor. In order to obtain more data 
concerning the initial processes of disengagement 
of plasma from the foot of the medium, the springs 
under the foot-rests of the electrical apparatus 
were strengthened, so that it took a weight of 6 
lb. at the extreme end of each rest to prevent 
electrical contact, and hence the bell from ringing. 
(The medium's shoes together weighed only 1*4 
lb.) The consequence was that the medium had 
actually to press down slightly on the rests with 
her feet in order to keep the contacts open. 

For about an hour the operators kept working 
at the feet of the medium ; but they worked lightly, 
evidently fearing to put any upward pull on her 
feet, and hence cause the bell to ring. (The 
operators, of course knew that they must en- 
deavour to disengage the psychic structure with- 
out ringing the bell.) There were the usual inter- 
mittent creaks of the wood of the foot-rests, but 
these noises were modified on this occasion for 
the reasons stated. But as time went on it became 
evident that the operators were unable to get the 
plasma free by these feeble methods, so finally I 
told them to be more vigorous, and to get the 
structure out irrespective of the bell ringing. No 
sooner had I spoken than the creaking and scrub- 
bing noises in the vicinity of the medium's feet 
greatly increased in intensity, and coincident with 
them the bell rang intermittently and jerkily over 
a period of about five minutes. The very smallest 
spasmodic movement of the medium's feet would 



124 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

in this case cause the bell to ring, as the strength 
of the upward push of the springs below the foot- 
rests was so great that the medium, as I have said, 
had actually to press down on the rests with her 
feet to prevent the bell ringing. At the end of 
the time mentioned the noises ceased for a few 
minutes, and then the small letter-balance away 
out on the floor was pushed up and down, the 
bell not ringing. 

Then I asked for levitation, which was easily 
accomplished, the levitation lasting fully half a 
minute, and the bell not ringing at all. Another 
levitation a little later was also accomplished with- 
out the bell ringing. 

Experiment J. 

The springs under the foot-rests were weakened 
and adjusted so that it took a weight of % lb. 
greater than that of the two shoes ( 1^4 1£> S - ) at the 
extreme edge of the rests to open the electrical 
circuit and hence prevent the bell ringing. 

I found that if I demanded that the operators 
should get the structure " out " and produce 
phenomena without the bell ringing at all, they 
could do so, only in this case they had to work 
on the medium very gently, and the resulting 
preliminary creaking and swishing noises in the 
neighbourhood of her feet were correspondingly 
weak, and it took a long time, perhaps three-quar- 
ters of an hour, before phenomena started. But 
if I gave them the necessary time they could suc- 
ceed. As soon, however, as I understood the pro- 
cess, I always told them to get the structure out as 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 125 

quickly as possible irrespective of the bell ringing. 
Actual phenomena, of course, such as levitation, 
had to occur without the bell ringing. 

Without the bell ringing the operators levitated 
the table, and made a good impression on a plate 
of clay placed 18 in. or so in front of the test 
apparatus. This impression on the clay was lined 
with stocking marks similar to the marks alreadjr 
described. An electroscope was also discharged. 
I several times examined the medium's feet, and 
always found them at rest on the apparatus. 

Clay marks were, at the conclusion of the seance, 
found on the medium's shoes and stockings as 
usual. On one stocking there was a clay mark 
on the heel and a small mark on the underside 
of toes, the latter being in the space between the 
toes and traceable for a good distance along the 
sole. The thickest deposit of clay on the heel 
was where the medium's heel was not pressing 
tightly on the leather of the boot, and the very 
fine deposit where it was pressing tightly. This 
is exactly what always happened in the tests 
already described. 

On the other stocking, in the neighbourhood of 
the ankle, there was a clay mark going downwards 
in a slanting direction to the shoe. There was 
decided evidence of tearing action on the wool of 
both stockings. 

Experiment K. 

The electrical apparatus was adjusted so that 
a weight of just over 2 lb. was required at the 
extreme edge of each foot-rest to open the circuit. 



126 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

The medium's shoes together weighed l 1 /^ lb. 
The apparatus was tested at the end of the seance 
and found correct. 

The usual shuffling, tearing, and pulling actions 
occurred near the medium's feet, and these in- 
creased in intensity as time went on. The bell 
only rang a few times, and then only for half 
a second or so. The structure was ejected and 
built up fairly easily. The table, placed well be- 
yond the reach of the medium, was soon moving 
about without the bell ringing, and three fine 
levitations quickly occurred under the same con- 
ditions. One of these levitations was a high one. 
I looked right through the space below the table, 
but could see nothing. 

The operators were practising all kinds of raps 
upon the floor well beyond the test apparatus. 
They were very successful. The magnitude of 
the rapping was not quite so great as when the 
medium's feet were not confined in a test ap- 
paratus, but it was very good nevertheless. 

Once when the operators were scraping on the 
undersurface of the table, the boards of the foot 
apparatus were simultaneously creaking "(although 
the bell was not ringing), showing there was con- 
nection between the two ends of the structure. 

An examination of the data from the experi- 
ments described and other similar ones which were 
carried out shows: — 

(1) The first process is the ejection of the psychic 
stuff from the feet of the medium. This 
occupies a considerable time and is not a 
continuous action, but occurs in spasms, 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 127 

which begin weakly, but gradually increase 
in intensity. Towards the period of com- 
pletion of this operation the process is 
normally quite vigorous, and during its 
occurrence the medium's feet and legs are 
involuntarily slightly moving. 

(2) The structure is " out," and it can act static- 

ally, such as on a levitated table, without 
the medium's feet moving. It can also act 
kinetically, without her feet perceptibly 
moving, as in making raps, but this process 
is more difficult. Sometimes big kinetic 
movements would cause the bell to ring 
momentarily, as where the table was sud- 
denly jerked along the floor. But the op- 
erators soon learned to avoid great acceler- 
ations of large bodies. 

(3) There is a period of time between (1) and 

(2) during which the psychic stuff or 
plasma is probably being moulded. 

(4) On the withdrawal of the structure after the 

occurrence of a burst of phenomena the 
medium's feet and legs are slightly af- 
fected; for after a levitation and similar 
phenomena the bell would ring slightly as 
the plasma was withdrawn into the feet of 
the medium, and the boards would slightly 
creak, and before phenomena could be ob- 
tained again process (1) went on as before, 
though not so vigorously, owing to the 
greater ease with which the structures could 
be ejected on second and subsequent occa- 
sions. 



128 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Visual Examination of the Psychic 
Structures 

Fitful glimpses of the structures had been 
obtained off and on in the ordinary red light of 
the seance room, but this light was insufficient to 
enable them to be examined at leisure, as they were 
more or less transparent to the light, or there was 
some other condition connected with the structures 
themselves which usually prevented them from 
being seen. The reader will find at pp. 9 and 10 
some remarks regarding the visibility of the struc- 
tures at ordinary seances in the red light, and I do 
not intend to say anything more about this aspect 
of the subject here. Many years of experimental 
work had shown me that the psychic structures 
are acutely sensitive to light — a result which has 
also been arrived at in thousands of circles held 
with many mediums in many parts of the world. 

On Saturday, 8th March 1919, I had the oppor- 
tunity for the first time of examining one of these 
structures at the Goligher circle by means of the 
eye: the method adopted was simple. A sheet of 
cardboard about 1 ft. square was painted with 
luminous paint, exposed to sunlight for some 
hours, and then placed on the floor of the seance 
room within the circle space. I had tried this 
method in a haphazard fashion some years pre- 
viously without any pronounced success, and I 
did not expect any great results on the present 
occasion. But either the phenomena had become 
more powerful and stable in the interim, or the 
operators had by practice improved their methods, 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 129 

for the results obtained on the present occasion 
were unexpectedly good, and the use of phos- 
phorescent paint in various forms placed a power- 
ful instrument of research in my hands. In the 
dark seance room the luminous sheets of card- 
board shone quite strongly. 

Experiment L. 

During the last half hour of the seance a sheet 
of luminous cardboard about 1 ft. square was 
placed on the floor within the circle space, just 
beyond the hinged leaf of the box apparatus 
(fig. 46). 

The medium had her feet and ankles locked 
in the box. It was absolutely impossible for her 
to get her feet out. The operators were asked to 
bring out the structure from the box and to hold 
it over the phosphorescent sheet. I stood at the 
side of the medium looking down on the cardboard 
sheet. 

In a short time a curved body somewhat like the 
toe of a boot advanced over the inner edge of the 
cardboard and then retired. It did this two or 
three times, as though the operators were testing 
the effect of the phosphorescent light. Evidently 
this light had little or no effect, for in a very short 
time the whole of the end of the structure was 
quite easily moved above the cardboard, to and fro, 
or forwards, as I desired. 

The Working End of the Structure 

Generally speaking, it resembles the toe part of 
a human foot in shape, without the heel. This 



130 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

seems the normal unstrained shape of the struc- 
ture. But, unlike the human foot, it is capable 
of extraordinary changes of form, which changes 
could be made on request. The operators made 
the structure end into many shapes for my edifi- 
cation, and I watched these changes occurring. 
The toe part could lengthen until the whole thing 
resembled a thin, pointed, straight rod. I watched 
the end portion contract, and then gradually 
lengthen, until the pointed shape was reached. 

After the pointed stage was reached the pointed 
end would sometimes curl round into a hook. 
This hook-like end could evidently grip things, 
such as a table leg. It twisted and untwisted 
before my eyes. Or the structure could contract 
and spread out sideways until it resembled a 
mushroom or a cabbage leaf, the edges being 
somewhat irregular. Or one side would remain 
normal as regards shape and the other would 
bulge out. 

The end portion of the rod, which could undergo 
the changes noted, seemed to be differentiated 
from the remainder or body of the structure. For 
one thing it appeared to be of a different degree 
of visibility, and seemed to consist of a long, 
absolutely straight portion proceeding into the 
mouth of the test-box. I asked that the tapered 
end be pointed straight up in the air and then 
straight downwards, and this was done; also the 
whole end was turned upside down on request. 
The flexibility was marvellous. 

During the singing of the last hymn the 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 131 

operators thrust a square-ended rod over the edge 
of the cardboard two or three times. 

With regard to the power of the end of the 
structure to form itself into a hook with which to 
grip things, the reader will be interested to hear of 
an incident that occurred at a seance some little 
time before. At this seance no clay of any kind 
had been provided. The medium was on the test 
apparatus, her feet being locked in the test-box 
(fig. 46). Just before they levitated the table 
the operators kept rapping on it. Asked if they 
had a message to give us, they answered in the 
negative. All sorts of questions were then asked 
them by the sitters and myself, in an endeavour to 
get at what they wanted, but in vain; and as it 
was too laborious to spell out by raps, we let the 
matter rest. 

After the seance was over I soon found out the 
meaning of the mysterious raps. They were given 
so that I should particularly examine the legs of 
the table. As no clay had been provided I had 
no intention of doing so, as I did not anticipate 
that any marks would be left. Nevertheless, when 
I looked at the front legs of the table I was 
surprised to see them lightly marked with clay. 
About a foot from the floor each leg was marked 
with white clay right round the four sides of the 
legs (the legs were of square section) : that is to 
say, the operators had levitated the table in this 
particular case by gripping each leg by a structure 
made into a hook-like form, a hook which had 
embraced the four sides of the table leg, thus 
forming a circle right round it. The mystery as 



132 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

to where the operators had obtained the clay was 
cleared up when it was discovered that there were 
some small lumps of clay adhering to the floor 
from a previous seance. Before levitating the 
table the operators evidently rubbed their two 
structures on this clay, then rapped on the legs 
of the table to draw my attention to the legs, 
and then levitated the table by the legs with the 
hook-like form of the structure. 

Mrs Morrison says that at one seance in the 
ordinary red light she saw two structures proceed 
outwards from the feet of the medium, and pass 
right under the table as far as the back legs, i.e. 
the legs remote from the medium. The end of 
each structure then twisted itself completely round 
a back leg, and the two structures moved upwards 
like a couple of arms and levitated the table. The 
body of each structure was a long straight rod 
about the thickness of the human wrist. 

Experiment M. 

The medium's feet were in the test-box. This 
experiment was carried out at the commencement 
of the seance, when the luminosity of ,the card- 
board sheet was at a maximum (Experiment 
L was done at the end of the seance). Condi- 
tions were the same as in Experiment L, with the 
exception that the medium wore light grey stock- 
ings instead of black ones, in order to see if the 
colour of the structures would be affected. 

The first appearance of a structure from the 
mouth of the test-box was as in the previous ex- 
periment, and the size was about the same as the 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 133 

toe part of a human foot. The structure then 
advanced over the cardboard until a much larger 
part of it was seen. This was the working end 
of the structure, and it turned upside down on 
request. It seemed to be jointed about 6 in. from 
its termination. 

On several occasions the working end was flat- 
tened out into a circular form, this being jointed 
to a thin, straight arm. 

Sometimes this circular end spread out at the 
periphery until it became heart-shaped. 

Once the structure lengthened out into a very- 
pointed form. 

On several occasions two psychic structures 
projected themselves simultaneously and placed 
themselves together over the cardboard. All the 
structures were projected over the cardboard at 
a height of 3 or 4 inches. 

Besides issuing over the cardboard straight out 
from the medium, a structure several times placed 
itself at right angles to her, i.e., parallel to the 
front of the test-box. On these occasions 5 or 6 
m. of the rod portion could be seen. 

All the structures appeared of even density this 
evening, and did not seem so flexible as at the 
previous seance. As viewed from above, they 
appeared black. Several times, however, I saw 
them from the front by the reflected light of 
the luminous paint, and on these occasions they 
appeared white. The colour of the medium's 
stockings seemed to have no effect on the colour 
of the structures. 

A peculiar thing about the structures when the 



134 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

two came out simultaneously was that the ends of 
both were exactly together — in contact — from the 
time they appeared to the time they were with- 
drawn into the medium. This phenomenon oc- 
curred at least six times, and always exactly the 
same thing happened. The structure ends, as 
they came from the mouth of the box, always kept 
exactly together in line and in contact, there never 
being any variation in the arrangement. They 
always came out exactly over the top of the test- 
box, and they exactly occupied the width of the 
test-box. Only on one occasion did any motion 
take place when this pair was out, and that was 
only a movement onwards of the two ends towards 
each other — a stiff and seemingly difficult motion. 
On all other occasions the pair of structures was 
perfectly rigid and always in the same relative 
position. They seemed to be structures prepared 
inside the test-box, and thickly covered over with 
materialising substance in order to withstand the 
light — armour - plated, as it were, beforehand. 
Their rigidity and incapability of movement was 
owing to the great thickness and density of their 
materialised covering. Owing to the great area 
of structure presented to the influence of the 
light (due to the two structures being out to- 
gether), the degree of materialisation had to be 
made especially intense in order that the dismem- 
bering effects of the light should be inhibited. 

I had subjected the phosphorescent cardboard 
to several days' exposure to daylight before this 
seance was held, and accordingly the intensity of 
the light from the cardboard was much greater 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 135 

than at the previous seance. Moreover, larger 
sheets of cardboard were used. I expect that the 
effects of light on these psychic structures vary 
with the second or higher power of the light in- 
tensity, and therefore at this seance a much higher 
degree of materialisation was necessary. Hence, 
as this covering of the structure was in all cases 
thicker than at the previous seance, the structure 
was stiffer and less flexible. The case is analo- 
gous to that of a man who puts on gloves of vary- 
ing thickness. With thin gloves his hand is quite 
flexible, but as the thickness of the gloves increases 
the flexibility diminishes until at a certain thick- 
ness the hand becomes perfectly rigid. This last 
corresponds to the case in which the pair of struc- 
tures came out of the box simultaneously. 

On one occasion at this seance, while a single 
structure was out, I asked the operators to touch 
the phosphorescent cardboard with the structure. 
Very slowly and gingerly the end of the structure 
lowered itself and gently scraped the surface of the 
cardboard. I was wondering why such evident 
care was taken, and did not remember that as the 
structure got close to the cardboard there would 
be the stronger disintegrating effect due to the 
light. 

Experiment N. 

In order to vary the tests the medium sat in 
shoes with her feet quite free. A large sheet of 
luminous cardboard was placed upright against a 
box outside the circle on the left of the medium, 
between her and her father, so that the light shone 



136 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

into the circle space. I crouched below the table 
on the side remote from the medium in order to 
observe the structures. 

The phenomena commenced with raps, which, as 
usual, gradually increased in intensity. After 
some time a couple of structures rose from the 
vicinity of the medium's feet to the undersurface 
of the table. They seemed about the thickness 
of one's wrist, and appeared to rise in an arc 
from about the medium's knees. They remained 
a few seconds, and then descended as though try- 
ing if they were capable of making the motions 
desired. During the time they emerged, the me- 
dium's skirts moved. 

On one occasion I saw the pointed end of the 
structure push against a table leg and move the 
table about. 

During the levitation of the table, although the 
light was good, I could see nothing, which may 
have been due to the structure end being im- 
mediately below the ledge. 

I saw the end of the structure moving about on 
the sooted undersurface of the table, as though it 
was trying to write something. On examination 
afterwards wokd was found roughly scrawled on 
the soot. 

Towards the close of the seance, the structure 
was seen to push its pointed end several times over 
a sheet of luminous cardboard placed on the floor, 
while another sheet was placed upright against the 
legs of Mr Goligher. The structure end on this 
occasion was much larger than usual, and it seemed 
to change in size considerably. It kept dodging 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 137 

in and out to the medium, as though the light 
affected it, and as though it had to keep returning 
to her for " power." 

Experiment O. 

The medium was sitting in shoes on the electrical 
foot-rest, with the adjustments as described in 
previous experiments. I placed a large sheet of 
luminous cardboard on the floor within the circle, 
1% shoe lengths at its nearest edge from the out- 
side edge of the test apparatus. It was quite im- 
possible for the medium to get her feet near it 
without causing the bell to ring. Yet the struc- 
ture many times put its pointed end over the 
inner edge of the cardboard. On one occasion it 
went fully 4 in. over the edge, and on no occasion 
did the bell ring. As usual, the structure came 
and went quickly. It appeared, as viewed from 
the top, quite black and solid. It seemed too stiff 
and heavily materialised to move its parts about 
much. 

Experiment P. 

Medium on electrical apparatus. The nearest 
edge of the luminous cardboard was 14 in. from 
the extreme edge of the electrical apparatus. 

The structure was repeatedly put over the card- 
board without the bell ringing. 

On this occasion two structures came out alter- 
nately. A structure would swing over from the 
left of the cardboard, would then retire, and then 
another structure would swing over from the 
right, It was quite obvious that these structures 



138 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

were from each leg of the medium. Both ap- 
peared similar in form, with an irregularly pointed 
end, roughly moulded. 

When the left structure first emerged, it made 
a dive across the cardboard and back with tremen- 
dous rapidity, as though testing the effects of 
the light. 

I made a careful examination of the height of 
the structures above the floor, and found that it 
varied from about 8 in. to a foot. 

The test apparatus was found perfect at end 
of seance. 

Experiment Q. 

This was an experiment carried out to try to 
photograph the structure as it rested over the 
phosphorescent cardboard. The medium was on 
the electrical apparatus. The cardboard was placed 
on the floor with its nearest edge 14< in. from the 
extreme edge of the test apparatus. The camera 
was focussed on the cardboard. Panchromatic 
plates were used in the camera, as it was thought 
these would be more sensitive to the phosphor- 
escent light. I explained to the operators that it 
would be necessary to hold the structures for a 
considerable time over the cardboard. 

The first structure came out and placed itself 
over the cardboard, and remained there about half 
a minute. It was of the usual broadly pointed 
shape. It placed itself in the most advantageous 
position for being photographed, for the camera 
was on the left of the medium, and the structure 
placed itself exactly between the cardboard and 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 139 

the lens. Mr Stoupe, the photographer, says it 
was really remarkable how, without being asked, 
the structure placed itself in the direct line of 
sight. 

I was sitting on the right of the medium, and 
when the structure returned to her, she gave an 
involuntary convulsive shudder. 

I asked that for the second photograph a 
pointed structure should be used. Accordingly 
the structure emerged in a narrow pointed shape 
like a large carrot. Mr Stoupe mentally asked 
that it should remain in position for a minute, and 
he ticked over the seconds mentally. He says 
that exactly at the sixtieth second the structure 
disappeared. This second structure again placed it- 
self in the line of sight of the camera. The medium 
shivered most violently when it returned to her. 

The violent momentary shivering of the medium 
as the structures were withdrawn was evidently 
due to the structures being held for such a 
comparatively long time over the luminous card- 
board. In ordinary cases the structures are fugi- 
tive, coming and going quickly, a condition of 
things evidently necessary to prevent undue strain 
on the medium. Unfortunately, it was found that 
the exposures were not sufficiently long to affect 
the plates. The apparatus, as usual, was tested 
at the end of the seance and found correct. 

In order that the student of psychic subjects 
may have at hand all the data possible, I give 
below a brief account of experiments in which 
the plasma carried to and from the feet of the 
medium various substances. These experiments 



140 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

were usually done in conjunction with others, of 
which they only formed a small part; but I think 
it more satisfactory to summarise all the results 
belonging to one class of test in one place than to 
spread them through the book haphazardly. 

Experiment R. 

The medium wore her seance shoes and a pair of 
new stockings, on the sole of which was imprinted 
in white particles the maker's trade mark: — 

" Best Silk finish. Made in England." 

After the seance it was found that the trade mark 
was practically obliterated, and that the white 
particles which made it up had been drawn all 
along the length of the foot, up and over the toes 
and up the front of the foot. 

The feet of both stockings, all along their 
length, were covered with little silvery hairs from 
the tongues of the shoes. 

Experiment S. 

Some ordinary quarter plates as used in photog- 
raphy were, after they had been soaked' in water, 
placed near the feet of the medium. After the 
seance it was found that on one stocking, about 
1 ft. from the ground, many yellow particles from 
the film were sticking. There were also some of 
the yellow particles down the front of the foot, and 
even one or two under the toes. Also on the left 
of right shoe (corresponding to this stocking) 
yellow particles of film were sticking. The op- 
erators had been asked to touch the wet plates 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 141 

with their psychic structures. There were also 

a few particles on the undersurface of the shoe 
near the toe, where there was no contact with the 
ground. 

The path of the plasma was evidently up the 

shoe to the middle of the foot, then up the leg 
about 6 in. 

Experiment T. 

Large blobs of brown oil paint were placed on 
the sole of the inside of each of the medium's shoes 
near the toe. At the end of the seance it was 
found that while there were practically no paint 
marks on one stocking, the other was heavily 
affected. On the sole there were traces of brown 
paint from the toes right to the heel. Also a well- 
defined mark started from near the toes and went 
up the front and side of the stocking halfway to 
the knee, the mark broadening out the higher it 
got. 

The Shoes — On the left side of right shoe, at 
the top of the leather, was a brown mark evidently 
left by the psychic stuff as it emerged from the 
shoe. The whole top of the tongue of the left 
shoe was rubbed with brown paint, as though the 
plasma had issued in this shoe from the front, 
whereas in the right shoe it seemed to issue from 
the side. 

Experiment U. 

The medium had on a new pair of stockings 
with the maker's mark — " Cashmere finish " — 
written on one side of sole of each in gilt. At 



142 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

the conclusion of the seance it was found that 
only one stocking seemed to have been much 
affected. The base of the sole of this was dirty, 
and the mark — "Cashmere finish " — had been 
badly rubbed. The heel also showed signs of 
much rubbing, while the stocking fabric up the 
front from the toe was much ruffled. 

Experiment V. 

A new pair of boots was bought for the medium. 
These went well above her ankles and were tightly 
laced. Eye hooks were screwed into the toes, 
strings attached to them and to hooks on the floor. 
This arrangement gave the medium's feet a little 
play, while at the same time no obstructions were 
on the floor. The legs of the medium's chair were 
screwed to the floor and her hands were held. 

A letter balance was placed on the floor 8 in. 
beyond the reach of her toes as they were con- 
trolled by the strings. 

Result. — The balance was moved up and down 
several times by the psychic structure. 

A tin of soft clay was placed on the floor 12 in. 
beyond the reach of the medium's toes. The 
operators made a mark on the near side of the 
clay; they also lifted the heavy tin and thumped 
it about the floor several times. Immediately 
afterwards I examined the medium's feet. I found 
that the clay had gone up the front of the boots and 
on to the stockings in the usual way. 

The Stocking 8. — A large, more or less circular 
mark on the left of right stocking towards the 
back, extending for a length of about 4 in. above 



AT THE GOLIGHEK CIRCLE 143 

the boot. Both stockings were turned inside out 
and minutely examined. On the inside of both, 
right up the leg. there were many hairs and pieces 
of fluff evidently coming from the hairy soft sole 
of the boots. Also many very small particles of 
white clay were fixed to the fabric right up to 
the top. These chiefly commenced where the 
large clay mark was made on the stocking just 
above the boot, and went straight up the inside, 
being most conspicuous on the back seam. On one 
stocking there were a few clay particles on the 
inside of the toe. It is interesting to note that 
the mark made on the soft clay was in this case 
coloured a kind of indigo blue. Now this was the 
colour of the cloth uppers of the medium's boot 
(an indigo dye was evidently used in their manu- 
facture ) . The plasma had rubbed over the uppers 
of the boots in its passage to the circle space, and 
the dye had adhered to it and had to some extent 
been left in the mould on the clay. This is 
another example of the viscous, adhering nature 
of the plasma. 

Experiment W. 

The medium wore the boots of the last experi- 
ment, which were fixed to the floor in a similar 
way. I filled a shallow tin dish with soft clay 
covered with methylene blue and fixed it to the 
floor well beyond the radius of action of the 
medium's feet. I poured some eucalyptus oil into 
the tin. 

Marks were made in the clay by the psychic 
structure in the usual way. There was a smell of 



144 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

eucalyptus oil on the cloth uppers of the boots 
near the top. Also there was a very small blue 
mark on the cloth at the toe. 

Experiment X. 

The medium wore the boots of the last experi- 
ment, with the toes tied to the floor. There was 
a tin filled with clay coloured with methylene blue 
fixed to the floor beyond the radius of action of her 
feet. Marks were made on the clay in the usual 
way. 

The blue clay made a huge mark on the boots 
and went above them to the stockings in each case. 
All down the heel of one stocking and right along 
the sole and even up the front of the stockings, 
there were hundreds of tiny blue pieces of clay, 
too small to be seen by the eye and requiring a 
magnifying glass for their detection. These show 
that the psychic matter had been drawn down into 
the stocking at the heel and spread over the foot 
at the sole. Also, up the leg as far as the knee 
there were many tiny pieces of blue clay caught 
in the fabric, and some of these pieces went to 
the very top of stockings. Just at the point of the 
toe of one of the stockings there were many blue 
particles which had gone through to the inside. 
On the other stocking there were not nearly so 
many particles on heel and sole. 

Experiment Y. 

Medium had the seance boots on, and her feet 
were placed inside the test-box, which was tied at 
the back to hooks in the floor. The sole and toe 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 145 

part of the medium's boots were carefully covered 
with powdered carmine. The bottom of the test- 
box was covered with powdered burnt cork. 
Experiment showed that it was quite impossible 
for the medium to get her feet out of the box. 
The medium wore new white stockings. 

At the end of the seance the medium's boots 
and stockings were carefully examined. It was 
found that there had been a tremendous disturb- 
ance of the carmine placed in the front part of 
the sole and toes of the boots. The whole of 
the soles, to the very extremity of the heel, was 
covered and pressed in with carmine, i.e. the car- 
mine had worked its way from the toe portion of 
the boots right along the soles to the heels. 

The Left Boot. — There were carmine particles 
on the outside of boot right down the outside of the 
tongue and down the seam on to the toe; also on 
the outside of the heel down to the base. The 
paths by which the carmine-covered plasma left 
the foot were quite apparent by the tracks left 
on the inside and outside of the boot. The most 
prominent path was from the middle of the sole 
slanting up the inside of the boot to the top to the 
space between the feet. There was also a strong 
path up the heel of the boot. At the top of the 
heel the carmine had been caught as it issued, leav- 
ing thick deposits. The corresponding places on 
the stockings were also heavily coloured with car- 
mine. 

On one stocking a coloured track of the car- 
mine could be seen going right up the back to the 
top of the stocking. It was not continuous, but 



146 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

was as though something covered with carmine 
had been drawn up the leg and had left its mark 
on the stocking wherever it had touched it. On 
the other stocking the carmine path could be 
plainly seen to well above the knees. 

There was much evidence of tearing action on 
the stocking fabric, especially in the paths up the 
leg. The magnifying glass showed that all round 
the region of the toe on the outside of the right 
boot was impregnated with carmine particles. On 
the outside of the heel of this boot there was also 
a big drag down of carmine particles, for the 
path was quite plain, and the glass showed hun- 
dreds of particles impregnating the cloth of the 
boots from the top right down to the heel along the 
path; especially were any little projecting parts 
of the boot affected. 

The medium's boots were resting on a bed of 
burned cork powder inside the test-box. Above the 
boots on the stockings there were large black 
marks from this cork extending halfway to the 
knees. 

Note on the Use of Carmine in Tracing the 
Paths of the Plasma to and from the 
Medium's Body. (From Light, March 6, 
1920.) 

" I wish to draw the attention of those engaged 
in psychic investigation to a method of research 
which I have found useful. I may call it the 
' staining ' method. It consists in the use of vari- 
ous coloured materials in the form of powder. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 147 

The material I have found most useful is pow- 
dered carmine. 

" Whenever phenomena of the physical order 
occur, this method can be employed with advan- 
tage. In all such phenomena, a substance which 
we may call 'plasma ' issues from the body of 
the medium. The quantity may be large, as in 
materialisation phenomena, or small, as in tele- 
kinetic phenomena, but whether large or small, my 
experiments show that there is always some of it 
present. Of course, plasma is not the only com- 
ponent (so to speak) of a psychic instrument, but 
it is that part of the structure which has obviously 
material form. 

"A problem such as the following might arise: 
From what part of the medium's body does the 
plasma issue, and does it return by the same or 
another route? 

" Now, I have discovered that plasma has the 
property of adhering strongly to a substance such 
as powdered carmine, and that if the carmine is 
placed in its path it will leave a coloured track. 
For example, slightly damp carmine may be placed 
on any part of the medium's clothing in the vicinity 
of the place of her body whence the plasma is 
thought to issue, and the carmined path of the 
plasma, as it issues, will be left. 

" Arrangements can also be made to let the 
plasma rub over carmine on the floor of the seance 
chamber, and the track can be followed, as the 
plasma returns to the body of the medium, by the 
trace left on the clothing. 

" I have found this method a valuable instru- 



148 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

ment of research. It can be employed in a great 
variety of ways. 

" I have used methylene blue, soot, and many 
other substances, but I find carmine the best." 

Experiment Z. 

The medium had her feet on a specially modified 
electrical apparatus. She had her feet in the 
seance shoes and wore white stockings. The op- 
erators could be heard working away at the legs 
of the medium. After about twenty minutes they 
said they wished to deliver a message. This was 
taken by means of the alphabet and was to the 
effect that the white colour of the medium's stock- 
ings was affecting the plasma, and that it would 
be necessary for her to change into black ones. 
This was done, and phenomena soon commenced. 
A dish containing flour was placed well beyond 
the reach of the medium on the floor, and the op- 
erators pushed their psychic structures into it. 
At the end of the seance the shoes and stockings 
were examined. 

Result— Only the right shoe and stocking were 
affected by the flour. On this stocking there was a 
large flour mark right across the interior side, just 
above the shoe, and there were marks and smudges 
on the stocking below the level of the shoe to the 
sole. The magnifying glass showed that the 
whole sole was covered with flour particles from 
end to end, and there were particles at the toes. 

There was flour all up the front and over the 
laces of the right shoe, as though the plasma had 
retreated along the floor, up the front of shoe to 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 149 

the ankle of the medium on the interior side, and 
then down between the stocking and the shoe to 
the sole of the foot. Also there were small par- 
ticles of flour right to the top of the stocking. 

Experiment A A. 

Medium sat in her seance boots, with her feet 
on the electrical apparatus. Carmine powder was 
placed in the soles of the boots. At the end of the 
seance, on one stocking, there was clearly marked 
the path of the carmine up to just below the knee. 
That is, although the foot was tightly encased in a 
boot, the carmine had worked its way up from the 
sole, between the leather and the stocking, and up 
the stocking nearly to the knee. 

Experiment B B. 

Medium sat in her seance shoes. I had very 
carefully painted the inside sole portion of each 
shoe with gold paint. This was heavy stuff and 
dried easily, so that there was not so much chance 
of the particles being carried along as with the 
lighter materials. 

Result. — At the end of the seance it was found 
that gold particles had been carried all up the front 
to just above the top of the shoe, while there were 
also particles carried along the sole to the heel and 
up the heel. On the other stocking some particles 
were pulled along the sole to the heel and also to 
the toes, and up the front to the top of the shoe. 
On the outside of right shoe (on the interior side) 
there was a well-defined path of gold particles 
sloping downward. 



150 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Experiment C C. 

Medium had on shoes treated with gold paint, 
as in the previous seance. At the end many gold 
particles were found on one stocking along the sole 
to the heel and up over the heel. Also many- 
particles were found on the stocking fabric to the 
very top of the stocking. A close inspection 
showed that there was a regular stream of gold 
particles right up both stockings to the top, this 
stream being most prominent about the region of 
the knees. 

Experiment D D. 

Just before the seance I rubbed a ring of (a) 
red, and (b) yellow crayon into the fabric of the 
medium's stockings a few inches from the top. 
A little carmine was placed in the toes of the 
medium's shoes. 

At the end of the seance the carmine from the toe 
of each shoe had been drawn right along the 
sole and up the heel of each stocking. On the shoes 
the carmine had been drawn along both soles 
on the inside. The interior surface of one heel was 
very much affected, while there were many spots 
and patches on the outside of both shoes. There 
were many carmine particles on the floor in the 
neighbourhood of medium's feet. 

The crayon rings round the top of the stockings 
were affected. These coloured crayon particles 
were found rubbed into the stocking fabric well 
above the original rings, and from 6 in. to 8 in. 
below them. There was evidence of strong rub- 
bing action. The magnifying glass showed that 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 151 

hundreds of tiny carmine particles were embedded 
in the fabric right to the top of both stockings, all 
the way up. 

The distribution of the carmine inside the shoes 
is indicative of the manner of evolution of the ' 
plasma. It seems that the plasma clings chiefly to 
the stocking fabric, for very little carmine was left 
on the leather sole inside the shoe (its surface was 
smooth and polished) where the foot rested, but 
was heaped up round the edges of the sole on the 
inside of the shoe, right round to the heel; but 
wherever there was a little depression in the leather 
sole, such as a nail hole or a small crack, carmine 
had been deposited. 

A careful inspection of each stocking showed 
that the whole sole was affected by the carmine 
particles from the toe to the heel and above the 
heel, but that the carmine had chiefly collected in 
places where contact between the foot and the shoe 
was not close, i.e. the carmine had gone chiefly 
to the side of the foot. The place where the heel 
rested was quite clean, but round the heel, wher- 
ever there was less close contact, it had collected. 

It was now becoming apparent to me that, be- 
sides issuing from the medium's foot inside her 
shoe, there were plasma paths up and down the 
leg, because when any considerable quantity of 
carmine was put into the toes of the shoes, patches 
and particles of the dye were nearly always found 
on the stockings right to the top. Moreover, the 
crayon particles placed round the tops of the stock- 
ings had been considerably moved up and down. 



152 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Experiment E E. 

Very carefully into the toe of each shoe was 
placed about half a teaspoonful of violet powder. 
The medium put on and took off her shoes in the 
seance room under my directions, and there was 
no movement of the powder along the shoes before 
the seance commenced or after it finished. 

Result. — On one stocking the powder had gone 
all along the sole nearly to the heel and then up 
the side of the stocking. There were marks here 
and there on the stocking nearly up to the knee. 
Long horizontal powder marks were left just 
above the ankle, the powder-covered plasma hav- 
ing evidently caught in the stocking creases which 
always form in that neighbourhood. 

On the other stocking the powder had been 
drawn along to heel and up above it, and a large 
white mark had been formed above the shoe on 
the inside of the ankle. This mark, while plainest 
on the inside of the ankle, went nearly round it, 
though on the outside the powder was not nearly 
so thickly deposited. 

On the inside of the soles of each stocking I had, 
before the seance, brushed some gold paint. At 
the end it was found that particles of this paint 
were embedded in the fabric of both stockings right 
to the top. Round and above the heel of one 
stocking innumerable particles were deposited. 

Experiment F F. 

I carefully placed large quantities of carmine in 
the toes of the medium's shoes — none anywhere 
else. The medium carefully put on her shoes 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 153 

under my direction at the beginning of the seance, 
and likewise so removed them at the end. The 
usual transference of carmine was found to have 
taken place all along the sole to heel and up the 
heel. Both stockings were carmine-covered more 
or less to above the knees. 

The Stockings: Distribution of Carmine. — 
Along the sole, over the edges of the sole, and up 
the sides; along and over the heel and some inches 
above the ankle where it spread right round the 
stocking. The intensity of the carmine became 
less farther up, but plainly visible marks were 
left up to the knee. At the ball of the leg very 
intense carmine marks were left which went 
through the stocking and coloured the skin of 
the leg. Near the knee there were straight lines 
or narrow bands of carmine going completely 
round the stocking, slightly inclining downwards 
towards the front. On the other stocking there 
were broad belts of carmine completely encir- 
cling the leg near the knee, but lower down, near 
the ankle, not so much of the dye had been de- 
posited. It would appear that as the plasma 
issues from the medium's foot it naturally comes 
into contact with her leg near the ankle, and, as 
it goes upwards, misses parts of the stocking and 
touches others. 

Experiment G G. 

Large quantities of carmine were placed before 
the seance in the toes of the medium's shoes. 
After the seance it was found that the stockings 
were carmine-smeared to the top, one more so than 



154 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

the other. Just above the shoes the dye was 
rubbed into the fabric as though there had been 
strong abrasing action. 

The data given above concerning the movement 
of powdered substances, such as carmine or flour, 
from the interior of the shoes of the medium up 
the sides of her shoes and up her stockings can 
only lead to one conclusion. The plasma must 
get into the medium's shoes in some manner or 
other. It either originates in her feet and makes 
its way to the outside by coming up between her 
shoes and her stockings, or it goes into her shoes 
first, accomplishes some process there, and then 
comes out again. It usually issues round the sides 
of the shoes, up from the middle of the sole of the 
foot, where the contact between shoe and stocking 
is slight, although usually there is also a consider- 
able movement up the back of the heel. As I 
have already indicated, this outward and inward 
movement of the plasma occurs even if the me- 
dium's feet are laced up in long boots. 

In many of the experiments already described, 
as well as a well-defined carmine path from the 
feet, there were visible distinct traces of carmine 
up the stockings as far as the knees, and even up 
to the top of the stockings. Usually these carmine 
paths were thickest and most plainly visible round 
about the ball of the calves at the back, and usually 
there was more carmine on the stockings between 
the legs than on the outside. The question then 
arose as to whether there was a flow of plasma 
from the medium's body down the legs, as well as 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 155 

the flow from the feet upwards, or, indeed, whether 
the whole of the plasma did not come from the 
trunk of the medium, flow down the legs and then, 
in some peculiar manner and for some particular 
reason connect with the building up of the 
psychic structures, enter her shoes and fill up the 
space between stocking and leather. For, after 
all, it has to be remembered that our feet and legs 
are only pieces of apparatus to enable us to move 
about, analogous to the wheels of a cart, and that 
the great centres of nervous energy and reproduc- 
tive activity are within the body proper. 

In order, then, to properly trace the plasma 
paths up the legs of the medium, and to discover 
whereabouts in her body they originated, special 
arrangements were made. 

Experiment H H. 

The medium put on white calico knickers under 
my wife's supervision. Carmine powder was placed 
in her shoes. At the end of the seance it was found 
that there were carmine paths up to the top of 
both stockings and then inside the legs of the 
knickers to the join of the legs. The carmine was 
mostly up the front towards the inside of the legs, 
and left coloured bands 2 or 3 in. broad. 

Thus, as I had suspected for some considerable 
time, it was abundantly clear that plasma issued 
from and returned to the body of the medium by 
way of the trunk. 

The plasma had in the ordinary way got into the 
shoes, became coloured with the carmine, and had 



156 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

left the track of its return path to the medium's 
body. 

Experiment I 2. 

The medium had on a pair of white knickers 
as in the last experiment. Plenty of carmine was 
placed in the toes of her shoes. 

Result. — As in the last case, carmine was found 
on the inside of the legs of the knickers, in broad 
bands several inches long, curving in to the join of 
the legs. 

Some of the carmine bands were as much as 
414 in. long, evidently due to the plasma encounter- 
ing creases in the cloth as it advanced upwards. 
The carmine paths to the top of both stockings 
were very plain. 

Experiment J J. 

The medium sat under test in clean white 
knickers and with carmine powder in her shoes. 
At the end of the seance, the medium's feet and 
legs were washed in order to remove the carmine 
on her skin which had come through from the 
stockings. Clean stockings were put on her, and 
then her knickers were removed. The knickers 
were found to be heavily marked with carmine up 
the inside of both legs as before. 

Experiment K K. 

The medium sat in clean calico knickers and 
clean stockings. Carmine was placed in her shoes 
as before. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 157 

At the end of the seance it was found that the 
inside of the legs of the knickers were marked with 
carmine as far as the join of the legs. Further, 
the results showed that the withdrawal of plasma 
up the legs of the medium must be a real physical 
action, because all round the edge of the knickers, 
on the inside, threads of cotton had been pulled out 
of the fabric. There was a raised band of em- 
broidery just inside the legs of the knickers, and 
the plasma in its ascent had rubbed upon and 
pulled out the threads of this wherever it had 
touched. 

The above results show beyond the shadow of 
a doubt that the plasma, after being used in the 
production of phenomena, returns to the medium's 
body via the trunk. The questions which then 
required solution were as follows: — 

(1) Does the plasma also issue from the lower part 

of the trunk as well as return by it? 

(2) Is the trunk the only place from which the 

plasma issues and by which it returns, or 
does the plasma also issue from the feet 
and return to the feet? 

(3) Does the plasma, descending from the trunk, 

go into the shoe, disturb the carmine there, 
and carry it with it as it comes out of the 
shoe and deposit it on the stocking as it 
moves upward, or does plasma originate in 
the foot, carry the carmine in the shoe with 
it as it ascends and deposit it on the stock- 
ing? If the latter were the case, the plasma 



158 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

descending from the trunk would come into 
contact with the carmine deposited on the 
stocking by the plasma from the foot. 

Experiment L JL. 

To see if plasma issues from the lower part of 
the trunk as well as returns by it. 

The experiments already recorded show con- 
clusively that plasma returns by the trunk, but do 
not show that it issues thereby. 

A little slightly damp carmine was carefully 
rubbed on the inside of the legs of the knickers 
some inches up, and the medium put the knickers 
on very carefully. At the end of the seance it 
was found that the carmine had traced paths right 
down the legs of the knickers, had spread out 
round the embroidery at the edge, had gone on 
to the stockings, made paths right down the stock- 
ings, mostly along the ball of the leg, and had 
even gone into the shoes, which were clean ones. 

Therefore it is certain that plasma issues from 
the trunk as well as returns thereby. 

The quantity of plasma must be considerable, 
for the carmine had spread round the medium's 
legs right to the posterior, and in between the legs 
to the base of the back-bone : i.e. the plasma had at 
one time or another during the seance occupied 
practically all the space which did not make close 
contact with her chair. This result suggests that 
during interruptions in phenomena, or when a light 
is temporarily lit during a seance, the plasma con- 
ceals itself round about the top of the medium's 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 159 

legs under her clothing, and does not necessarily- 
all return to her body. If it always went back 
into her body, a considerable time would have to 
elapse between each burst of phenomena, but this 
does not usually occur. So long as the plasma is 
away from the temporary disturbing influence, such 
as rays of light, the purpose of the operators is 
served. 

Experiment M M. 

The medium wore clean knickers, clean black 
stockings, and clean shoes. On the ball of the 
leg of each stocking damp carmine was rubbed, 
beginning about 6 in. above the heel, for a distance 
upwards of about 4 in. Thus the only place on 
the medium where there was carmine was on the 
stockings at the ball of the leg. 

Results at End of Seance. — No carmine on the 
outside of the knickers. On the inside of both 
legs, between the legs, there were the usual carmine 
marks indicating the course of the plasma as it was 
making for the trunk. The breadth round the 
bottom of the knickers affected by the carmine was 
about 6 in. Traces of the dye were apparent right 
to the join of the legs. On the carmine path over 
the embroidery near the bottom of the knickers 
numerous cotton threads had been pulled out of the 
fabric, and there was much fraying, showing that 
the plasma has a considerable rubbing action as 
it moves upwards. As before, the small project- 
ing parts of the embroidery were most heavily 
marked. 



160 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

Traces and tinges of carmine could be seen going 
right to the top of both stockings. 

The whole foot of each stocking was affected by 
the dye. Carmine had gone in at the heel and 
sides of the shoes, then under the heel and along 
the sole and up over the toes. There were well- 
defined traces up the front of the foot inside the 
shoe. The parts of the foot most affected were 
the places where it was pressing most tightly on 
the shoe, such as the ball of the heel and the bear- 
ing surface near the toes. 

The whole of both stockings looked as though 
they had been scraped by something adhering 
tightly to them, moving up and down, pressing 
into the wool and tearing little ridges in the wool. 
The deductions from this experiment are as fol- 
lows : — 

(1) The plasma comes from the trunk, goes down 

the stocking, adhering closely to it and 
scraping it along its length. 

(2) The plasma enters the shoe and goes right 

round the foot of the medium. 

(3) It is possible that no plasma originates in the 

foot, but that it all comes downwards into 
the shoe from the trunk. 

(4) The plasma must have considerable consist- 

ency, for it has a strong tearing action on 
the stockings and knickers. 

It should be noted that, in the above test, the 
carmine, as it moved downwards and struck the 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 161 

region of stocking at the edge of the shoe, was 
thickly deposited on the fabric there, but that 
sufficient got inside the shoe to suggest that the 
action was a continuous one from leg, down stock- 
ing, and then in between the shoe and the stocking 
to the foot. 

Experiment N N. 

Medium wore clean white knickers, black stock- 
ings, and clean shoes. 

A solution of methylene blue was rubbed on the 
inside of the legs of the knickers. Damp carmine 
was rubbed on the front of the stockings some 6 in. 
above the shoes. 

Results. — At the end of the seance it was found 
that the methylene blue had been drawn down- 
wards towards the foot of the knickers, and had 
also gone up nearly to the join of the legs. On 
the inside of the back of the knickers the blue dye 
had gone up between the legs as far as the base 
of the spine, and it had also gone between the 
buttocks and had spread under them to some ex- 
tent and over the seat of the knickers. 

The carmine was put on the front of the stock- 
ings to see if the plasma would go down between 
the front of shoes and stockings to the medium's 
toes. After the seance the carmine could be 
traced right down to the toes of both stockings: 
there was only a scuff of the dye in each case, as 
the shoes the medium had on were good tight ones. 
Thus from this and previous experiments it seems 
most likely that the plasma proceeds down the legs, 



162 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

from the trunk, and enters the shoes at the front, 
back, and sides: i.e. it seems to surround the foot 
on all sides within the shoe. Probably, also, no 
plasma originates in the foot, and all the disturb- 
ance within the shoes is due to plasma entering 
from above. 

Experiment O O. 

The medium had on clean knickers, stockings, 
and shoes. Carmine was rubbed into the inside of 
legs of knickers. It was made damper than usual. 
At the end of the seance the customary result was 
obtained. The carmine had spread up and down 
the legs of the knickers and round the buttocks. 
There was in this case little on the stockings except 
at the top, probably because the carmine had been 
made too damp, and thus did not draw well. 

Experiment P P. 

The medium wore clean knickers and stockings. 
Carmine was put in the toes of the shoes. At the 
end of the seance much the usual result was 
obtained. There were smudges of carmine up 
both stockings to the top, and also up the inside of 
the right leg of the knickers. In this particular 
case there was no carmine on the left leg. 

Experiment Q Q. 

The medium wore clean knickers and stockings. 
Carmine was placed in the toes of the shoes, and 
also some on the inside of the seat of the knickers. 
As usual at the end of the seance, the knickers were 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 163 

marked with carmine up the inside of both legs to 
the join. The stockings were also both marked. 
There seemed to be a chief carmine track from the 
shoes between the feet, up the ankles, and then 
round to the ball of the leg at the back. 

In these tests I always found that at a spot 
about half-way between the ankle and the knee, 
the heavy carmine coloration always ceased, and 
only smudges and lighter marks were left up the 
remainder of the stockings and knickers. It would 
appear that the operators use the calves of the legs 
as a backing from which to operate their struc- 
tures. 

There was evidence of considerable up-and-down 
movement of the carmine placed in the seat of the 
knickers, round about the join of the legs. 

Respiration, Pulse., and Temperature of the 
Medium during Levitation and other 
Phenomena. 

For the purpose of carrying out these and other 
experiments, a new test device was arranged. A 
wooden frame was placed round the medium's legs, 
so that fraudulent levitation of the table was im- 
possible. The cross-bar at the top prevented her 
raising her knees, while side pieces prevented the 
feet being spread out. The whole apparatus was 
screwed to the floor right up against the front of 
her chair. A large rectangular hole was cut in 
the table top, stretching right across the width of 
the table. 

I thoroughly tested this apparatus before use. 



164» THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

For fully half an hour I tried in every way I could 
to levitate the table, taking my seat for that pur- 
pose in the medium's chair, but I did not succeed 
in raising the table the fraction of an inch from 
the floor. I got many other people to try, but not 
one of them could get the table into the air, even 
after the most frantic efforts to do so. Yet in a 
few minutes after the medium took her seat, the 
table levitated quite easily. 

A medical friend assisted in these tests. He 
stood by the medium taking her pulse, etc., while 
I entered the circle and attended to the levitations. 
The doctor used a red flash lamp, while in addi- 
tion the red electric light was shining above the 
circle space. , 

Just before the seance — 

Medium's pulse — 72. 
Medium's temperature — 98.0. 
Medium's respiration — normal. 

The Seance 

The table levitated splendidly between twenty 
and thirty times. The longest levitation was for 
about one and a half minutes, dead level, and about 
6 in. high. The table usually first of all moved 
over the floor close to the medium, and the psychic 
structures seemed then to grasp it; it then moved 
straight out along the floor and levitated. During 
the levitations I saw that all was in order and that 
no part of the bodies of the sitters was in contact 
with any part of the table. The medium's hands 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 165 

were quite visible. Sometimes the doctor took the 
medium's pulse from the wrist and sometimes from 
the neck artery. For respiration he put his ear to 
her chest. 

The following is a resume of events as they 
occurred : — 

Levitation — medium's pulse very rapid, went 
up to 90. 

Levitation — pulse went up to 110. 

After the levitation the pulse fell slowly. 

During the levitation it rose steadily. 

Two minutes after the last levitation the pulse 
was 84. 

Five minutes after the levitation the pulse was 
steady at 80. 

Levitation — pulse 126. 

Levitation (shorter duration) — pulse 100. 

Respiration (just after this levitation) — normal. 

The respiration was then taken during the 
course of five or six levitations. It was always 
normal. 

The temperature was then taken during a series 
of levitations — 98.4. 

After a rest of ten minutes the pulse was taken 
—90 

Then during another levitation — pulse 120. 

During several levitations it was found that the 
pulse averaged 120. 

The palm of the medium's hand was moist to 
the touch hut not cold. 

A levitation lasting a minute — a little more 
moisture in the palm of the hand. 



166 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

During a series of levitations the pulses of all 
the sitters were taken — all normal. 

A sheet of luminous cardboard was placed on 
the floor and the operators placed their psychic 
structures over it — medium's pulse rose to 100. 

Preparations were made for flash-light photog- 
raphy. Pulse 84. Just before the flash, pulse 
rose to 120, and after the flash the medium shiv- 
ered and her pulse went gradually back to normal. 
The reason for the rise to 120 before the flash was 
because the operators were endeavouring to ex- 
teriorise a psychic structure to be photographed. 

Just after the seance — 

Medium's pulse — 72. 
Medium's temperature — 99.0. 
Medium's respiration — normal. 
Medium in good health — arteries firm. 

The general result is that during all phenomena 
the pulse of the medium rises considerably, the 
palms of her hands get a little moist and the fingers 
a little cold. Neither the respiration nor the 
temperature seem to be affected to any degree. 
It is not only while doing external work, such as 
levitating the table, that the medium's pulse rises, 
it rises also while the operators are extending the 
structures from her body, and forming them, with- 
out any phenomena resulting. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 167 

Different Kinds of Marks obtained on 
various Substances due to the Applica- 
tion of the Psychic Structures 

When the medium had carmine in her boots or 
shoes, particles or small patches of the dye were 
often found on the table legs, on the floor, or on 
articles touched by the structures. As a rule the 
amount of the carmine so deposited was slight and 
not comparable to the quantities on her stockings. 

In order to obtain data concerning the shape of 
the ends of the structures and also of their methods 
of gripping the table, I often covered the under- 
surface and legs of the table with soot obtained 
from a turpentine lamp. In this way, wherever 
the structures touched, marks were left on the soot. 
It was soon found that there were two chief 
methods of levitating the table, viz. from the 
undersurface and by the legs. 

Marks resembling Fingers 

Finger-like marks were often obtained. The 
undersurface of the table which had the large 
rectangular hole in it was on several occasions 
covered with soot. The medium being in a test 
apparatus, levitations of the table were given by 
the operators. On examination afterwards, the 
edges of the hole were found marked as though 
with fingers. 

Needless to say, neither the medium nor mem- 
bers of the circle had their hands near the table. 
Never more than four of these " finger " marks 



168 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

were ever obtained on soot, and usually three was 
the number. 

Impressions of the "ringer " were also obtained 
on ordinary photographic plates, due to the opera- 
tors placing these " psychic " fingers upon the 
plate. These impressions show that the " ringers " 
are not really fingers in the strict sense of the 
word, but are temporary psychic projections which 
can assume various shapes and forms, more or less 
resembling fingers. 

The legs of the seance table were often covered 
with soot. After levitations, marks were often 
found on the soot which indicated that the legs 
had been gripped for the purpose of levitation. 
These marks were usually on the legs of the table 
nearest the medium, and were often low down near 
the floor, though the grip was sometimes taken 
halfway or more up. Moreover, the marks showed 
that the gripping substance in most cases went 
right round the legs, just as though some kind of a 
tentacle had wrapped itself right round. 

Condition of the Medium during Phenomena 

The medium was sitting on a chair placed on the 
platform weighing machine. I asked the operators 
to take psychic matter from her in the ordinary 
way. I put my hand on the lower part of her 
back just above the buttocks. The rise and fall 
of her flesh was very apparent, as psychic matter 
was supposed to be taken from her and put back. 
I put my hand on her haunches just above the 
seat of her chair. The flesh seemed to become soft 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 169 

and cave in. The medium did not seem to move 
bodily, but her flesh seemed to fall in. It could 
be distinctly felt filling out as the psychic stuff 
apparently returned to her. 

To see if there was any volumetric decrease in 
the medium's legs during the psychic action, a 
string was fixed to one side of the seat of the 
medium's chair. It went over the seat, through 
an eye-hook fixed on the other side of the seat, 
and then up to a spring balance hanging from 
the roof. 

The medium sat back in her chair, extended her 
legs straight out, with her legs and feet as close 
together as possible. The string was then tight- 
ened over the thighs of the medium and fixed to 
the balance, so that there was a tension of 4 lb. 
indicated. The medium did not know the purpose 
of the experiment. I asked her to remain per- 
fectly still, which she did. I then asked the op- 
erators to take out psychic matter from the 
medium and put it on the floor. 

Result. — The tension on the string decreased to 
1 lb. as indicated on the balance. I felt the string 
and found it quite slack. Then the tension in- 
creased gradually until it reached the normal of 
4 lb. as the operators returned the plasma to the 
medium. This occurred seven or eight times. On 
each occasion the tension always relaxed to almost 
exactly the 1 lb. mark as the plasma was removed, 
and always returned to the 4 lb. mark as it was 
put back. Moreover, both processes were gradual, 
and never sudden. 



170 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

It should be noted that with this arrangement 
any normal involuntary movement of the medium's 
legs would have increased the tension on the 
string. 

Thus it would appear that there was a decrease 
in volume of the upper parts of the medium's legs 
when psychic matter was removed from her body. 

I then placed my hand across the medium's 
thighs as she remained in the position just de- 
scribed. I asked the operators to fc remove and re- 
turn psychic matter from her body. When this 
process was going on I could feel a distinct fall 
and rise of the flesh in the thighs. 

While the medium was sitting on her chair in 
the ordinary way, I placed my hands on the out- 
side of her haunches. While psychic action was 
going on, parts of the flesh seemed to cave in. As 
the psychic stuff came back, little round lumps 
could be felt filling in on the backs of the thighs. 
This also is the case on the interior of the thighs. 

I felt the medium's breasts during the occurrence 
of psychic action. They became very hard and full. 

Generally speaking, it can be said that the evolu- 
tion of plasma from the body of the medium is 
accompanied by strong muscular movements all 
over the body, and that there is strong evidence 
of decrease in volume of the fleshy parts of her 
body, especially from the waist downwards, while 
the plasma is extruded. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 171 

The Position of the Medium duking 
Levitation 

In addition to the electric light hanging above 
the circle .space, a strong gas light enclosed in a 
red glass lantern was placed close to the medium, 
so that she could be thoroughly observed during 
phenomena. 

I had often noticed the upright stiffness of the 
medium's body while phenomena were occurring, 
but I now made particular notes. Just before a 
levitation occurs she may be leaning comfortably 
back on her chair, but a minute or so before the 
actual phenomena takes place she sits vertically 
upright, her trunk even sometimes rises an inch 
or two, and her feet and legs go close together 
immediately below the chair. Sometimes during 
high levitations the upper part of her trunk swings 
forward towards the circle space. Needless to say, 
it is perfectly impossible for anyone sitting ver- 
tically upright in a chair to levitate a table nor- 
mally. This can only be done (in a stilted kind 
of way) by leaning back on the chair, and taking 
a purchase on the sides with hands or elbows. 

Flashlight Photography of the " Plasma " 
and Psychic Structures 

Only within the last six months or so has it been 
found possible to photograph the stuff which issues 
from the medium's body (I call it "plasma" for 
want of any better word), and from which the 
psychic structures are built up that produce the 



172 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

phenomena of raps, levitations, touchings, etc. 
For about a year I took a photograph each seance 
night in the hope that success might ultimately 
be obtained. The operators informed me by raps 
that success would finally come if I would be 
persistent enough. 

The chief difficulty seemed to be in preventing 
injury to the medium. The operators said it was 
necessary gradually to work her up to withstand 
the shock of the flashlight upon the plasma; nor 
is this to be much wondered at when it is con- 
sidered the plasma is part of her body exteriorised 
in space. 

I tried all sorts of arrangements to obtain the 
desired result. One of these was to hang a black 
cloth in front of the lower part of her body and to 
get the operators to bulge the cloth out by struc- 
tures acting from behind, when they would be con- 
siderably protected from the flash. This method 
was successful so far as it went. 

After innumerable attempts, however, very small 
patches of plasma were obtained in full view 
between the medium's ankles. As time went on 
these increased in size and variety until great 
quantities of this psychic stuff could be exteriorised 
and photographed. Then the operators began to 
manipulate it in various ways, building it up into 
columns, or forming into single or double arms, 
moulding it into the different shapes with which I 
had been long familiar in a general way from pre- 
vious investigation. Not only did they do this, but 
they showed unmistakably, by means of set photo- 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 173 

graphs, from what part of the medium's body the 
plasma issued, and by means of ingenious arrange- 
ments devised by themselves brought out many of 
its properties. 

By auxiliary experiments carried out chiefly by 
the aid of carmine dye (already described), I, by 
a totally distinct line of investigation, discovered 
the parts of the medium's body whence the plasma 
issued. I do not intend to say anything more 
about this here, except to remind the reader that 
the plasma has the property of adhering to various 
substances when it comes into contact with them. 
If it touches powdered carmine a distinct crimson 
trace is left upon the clothing and skin, as the 
plasma retires into the body of the medium. 

The medium and members of the circle are open 
to any tests. I have gone to most elaborate pre- 
cautions to make sure the results are genuine, and 
amongst others have called to my aid men and 
women of medicine. In order to prevent sub- 
conscious action affecting the moulding of the 
plasma, I withheld the photographs from the 
medium until the present series was obtained. 
When I at length showed them to her, she was 
vastly astonished and diffident about my publishing 
some of them. 

The photographic results are not yet complete. 
They are complete in so far as the plasma in an 
unstressed state is concerned. The shock to the 
medium, evidenced by involuntary trembling and 
shivering which endures for a considerable time, is 
very much greater when the flashlight impinges on 



174 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

the plasma under stress than on the unstressed 
stuff. For this reason no photograph of the com- 
pletely levitated table has yet been obtained, 
though partial levitations have occurred and small 
rapping rods fairly rigid have been secured. The 
operators are gradually working up to full levita- 
tion. 

Description of the Photographs 

A — A photograph showing a peculiar exteriorisa- 
tion (resembling a leg) from the body of 
the medium. The black cloth round the 
body of the medium was placed there at the 
operators' request. 

B — -A plasmic column under the table. This 
method is used when very powerful levita- 
tions are required. 

C — Another form. of the column. 

D — Still another form of the column. 

E — A side view of the column. 

F — A column placed on top of a spring balance. 
■The small piece of black cloth on the bal- 
ance weighs about an ounce, and as the bal- 
ance reads a little over a pound, presumably 
that part of the column resting on the bal- 
ance weighs about a pound. 

G — The cantilever method of levitation. A rough 
cantilever in position. 

II — Another form of cantilever. 
I — Plasma collected near the feet of the medium 
forms into a lump and advances along the 
floor. From this lump the columns rise. 



AT THE GOLIGHER CIRCLE 175 

J — Or the plasma, after collecting at the medium's 
feet, begins to divide into two portions. 

K — These separate portions elongate and finally 
form two long arms which grip the table 
legs. 

L — Two psychic arms tied to the table legs by 
bands of plasma. A separate moulded 
lump of plasma on the floor. 

M — Another view of a pair of plasmic arms. 

N— Sometimes the plasma collects round the feet 
of the medium and forms two arms on the 
floor. 

O — A heavy lump of plasma on the floor. 

P — Plasma inside the medium's shoe. 

Q — Plasma moulded round the leg of the medium. 

R — A small rapping rod projecting. 

S — Plasma collected at the feet of the medium. 

T — Plasma exuding from medium's chest. 

U — Another view of plasma exuding from me- 
dium's chest. 

V — Table tilted and held in position by a braced 
cantilever constructed of plasma. 

W — Side view of V. 

X — Black and white plasma. 

Y — Near view of the plasma. 

Z — Near view of the plasma. 

In addition to the photographs shown, I have 
many others which are scarcely suitable for publi- 
cation in a popular book. They all indicate the 



176 THE PSYCHIC STRUCTURES 

fact that once the plasma is extruded from the 
body of the medium, the operators can mould it 
into the various shapes and forms required to 
produce the phenomena. 




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